Someday
by VoiceOfTime
Summary: Third in a series. Sequel to Never Gonna Be Alone and Savin' Me.  Picks up after Journey's End and goes through The End of Time. 10/OC
1. Author's Note

**Warning! Warning! Warning!**

**If you haven't read Never Gonna Be Alone and Savin' Me, stop reading this and go do it. If you don't, you will be confused. You have been warned.**

Author Note:

So, here we are. Third story and we move on to the specials. Again I will warn, if you haven't read the first two stories of this series, go do that. You will not understand otherwise.

Just a quick recap:

When we left off, Davros and the Daleks had been defeated, Rose and the human Doctor were left in the alternate universe to live out their days together, and Lily was dead. Technically.

She opened the watch, regenerated, and promptly fell into a coma. Inside her mind, she discovered that she now had three distinct personalities, Lily Carter, Alyssy the Time Lord, and the Phoenix the avatar of the Vortex. Eventually they will all coalesce into one being, but in the mean time one needs to be in charge. Three strong minded women in one body. Yeah, that's gonna go well.

In the mean time, the Doctor is left waiting for his mate to wake up.

And that's what happened last time.

Full recap explaining who Lily is:

Lily is a Time Lord turned human from an alternate reality than the one our Doctor exists in. She was taken away from Gallifrey by her Time Lord parents before the Time War was time locked. They put her in the Chameleon Arch and made her human, leaving her on Earth with a new family, a watch, and no memory of who she used to be. Lily grew in Manhattan, New York, America, happy and loved, but even so, she never truly fit in and longed for the beautiful world she saw in her dreams.

When her class took a trip to the British Isles, she was greeted in Cardiff by a man named Jack Harkness. He revealed to her that she was destined to travel with a man known only as the Doctor. After much explanation, she finally believed him, and she stayed in England. She met a young woman by the name of Rose Tyler, and spent the next few months working in a store called Henriks. Finally, one night, she was attacked by Autotons, and saved by the man she had been waiting for. Unfortunately, Rose was killed in the attack and the Doctor disappeared.

The next day, the Doctor reappeared at her apartment, and she explained who she was to him. She helped him defeat the Nestene and he brought her into the TARDIS. From there they traveled the universe, past, present, and future, and along the way they fell in love. They picked up a young Jack Harkness in WWII London and brought him with them.

Then they were sucked into the Daleks' game station. To protect her, the Doctor sent Lily and the TARDIS back to Earth, but Lily wasn't about to sit idly by while the two men she loved most died.

It was then she finally noticed the two words following her and the Doctor through time: Dark Phoenix. She opened the heart of the TARDIS, absorbed the power of the vortex, and followed the words back to the Doctor.

The moment the power entered her, it began to change her. She wasn't fully human, so it couldn't take complete control, but she wasn't fully Time Lord, so she didn't have full control. She was able to destroy some of the Daleks and chase the rest away. She brought Jack back to life, but she messed up and brought him back for good.

Three days later, she woke up on the TARDIS, the power of the vortex irreversibly a part of her now. She had the Doctor take her back to Earth. To Jack. She finally understood what she had done to him.

From there, they went back to traveling. They met a young doctor by the name of Martha Jones, who diagnosed Lily's new illness as a child. They brought her along for awhile and she helped take care of Lily. When she went home, a woman named Donna Noble joined them.

But then the Daleks came.

Their first wave killed Owen Harper, a friend and the medical officer of Jack's Torchwood, and Gwen Harkness, Jack's wife.

After that there was nowhere to hide.

One by one they were killed off.

Toshiko Sato and Ianto Jones were killed in an attack on a Dalek ship. Martha Jones was trampled to death by a mob, trying to save an injured child. Jack was captured and left on the edge of a black hole, always alive and always dying. Lily was hurt in an explosion and lost her child, a daughter she would have named Samantha.

Finally all that was left was the Doctor, Lily, and Donna in the only safe place left, the TARDIS. But then they captured Donna. They kept her as bait, all the while, torturing her for information she would never give.

Donna died in Lily's arms as she tried to rescue her best friend.

Then the news came that the Daleks were coming for Lily in hopes of controlling her access to the power of the vortex. So the Doctor sent her away. Far away.

As the Doctor in our reality's transmission to Bad Wolf Bay cut off, Lily appeared on the deck of the TARDIS, screaming at the universe to take her back and receiving the answer. No.

The Doctor took Lily in. He gave her a new home.

And together they traveled, meeting new and old faces. They saved Donna Noble from a giant spider and an evil husband. They helped Martha Jones save a hospital and then the world.

They met the Master, who, as it turns out, was Lily's brother, and saved the earth from him.

Along the way, they helped each other to heal. They taught each other how to laugh again, how to live again…how to love again.

At the start of last year, the Titanic almost crashed into Earth. Yeah.

The Doctor and Lily stopped it, but along the way they found out that when Lily shot off the Master's suppression device, it damaged her body. Now every time she used her powers, it damaged her body even further. In little less than a year, she would be dead. Her only hope was opening the watch and it was proving stubborn, insisting that it wasn't time.

The Doctor and Lily continued to travel, determined to make the most of the time they had left, when they met Donna Noble for the second time. After helping them deal with the Adipose, she came along with them.

They went to Pompeii and found the Pyrovillians, met the Ood and set them free, and Donna met Martha and they didn't fight, except with the Sontarans.

They went to a war zone and the Doctor had a daughter. And then he and Lily both mourned the loss of another child.

They solved a murder with Agatha Christie and solved the mystery of her disappearance, then discovered the mystery of River Song while fighting against living shadows know as the Vashta Nerada.

They went to Midnight to relax as Lily got weaker only for the Doctor to have his voice stolen from him, forcing Lily to give up what time she had left to save him.

With little time left, they went on one last shopping trip, but Donna had a parallel universe created around her, where she met both Rose and Lily's original Doctor. There they told her that the stars were going out.

The Doctor and company raced back to Earth to find it fine. But then it was stolen right from underneath them. By the Daleks.

Everyone came together to fight the Daleks. Harriet Jones, Sarah Jane Smith and her son, Martha Jones, Ianto Jones, Gwen Cooper, Jack Harkness, Mickey Smith, Jackie Tyler, Rose Tyler, and Lily's Doctor.

Harriet Jones died bringing the Doctor to Earth.

Lily's Doctor died saving our Doctor.

Lily and Donna brought a new, human Doctor into the world.

The Children of Time defeated the Daleks, but at a cost.

Lily was forced to regenerate, leaving her with three separate personalities waiting to be integrated and vying for dominance in the mean time. Until they finished fighting, she's left in a coma, and the Doctor is left to wait.

Now all she has to do is wake up.

Characteristics:

Name: Lily Elizabeth Carter, Dark Phoenix, Alyssy (called that by the Master when she was on Gallifrey)

Age: She was around 20 in Gallifreyan years when she was taken away, and she's lived as a human for 21 Earth years. Normally she'd be considered a very young teenager by the Time Lords, but she has matured at a human rate, so mentally, she is an adult. Usually she ignores the difference between an Earth year and Gallifreyan year and says she's around 41.

Hair: Black, pre-regeneration. Blonde, post-regeneration

Skin: Pale, both pre and post.

Eyes: Grey with flecks of gold or the inverse when she uses her powers. When she goes deeply into the vortex, they can lose all of the grey and turn completely gold. No matter what, they remain this way.

Height: 5'7", pre. 5'3", post.

Personality: She's very sarcastic. She makes jokes when she's upset. She has a need to take care of everyone and tends to put them first even at the risk of ignoring what she needs. After she regenerates, she's still sarcastic, but less defensive. She knows who she is now and is more secure about it. She won't beat herself up as much about what she can't stop.

Relationships:

The Doctor-she is his bond-mate. She loves him very much, more than she loved her original Doctor. She needs him every bit as much as he needs her and doesn't take being separated from him very well.

Jack Harkness-she considers him her brother in every way but blood. She views him as only second to the Doctor and would do anything for him.

Donna Noble-she and Donna were linked by the metacrisis and now have a bond similar to twins. Donna is her sister in all but blood and she will do anything to protect her. They also share a low level telepathic bond. Nothing like the bond she shares with the Doctor, but enough that she can share information with her if need be.

Again, if you haven't read Never Gonna Be Alone and Savin' Me, in that order, go do it now.

For the rest of you, welcome to Someday.

Abbey


	2. Waking Up A New Person

Disclaimer: It's the third story, guys. Gotta news flash. You're never gonna get it.

Ch. 2:

The Doctor sat in a chair next to Lily's sleeping form, although you wouldn't know it was Lily by looking at her.

The Lily everyone knew was tall with black hair and pale skin. She had always been thin, but a muscled. The girl on the bed had blonde hair and was much shorter. She was more shapely than before, but still fairly thin.

Also Lily had had one heart, and this girl had two.

The regeneration hadn't exactly worked out as planned. They were now entering day four of her coma and the Doctor was becoming worried. She had stopped expelling energy yesterday, but still showed no signs of awakening.

"No change?" a voice called.

He turned to see Donna Noble, Lily and his best friend, leaning in the doorway. Donna had been their traveling companion, but now she had the knowledge of the Time Lords lying dormant in her brain, effectively grounding her permanently.

"Nope." The Doctor replied.

"What's taking her so long?" Donna asked.

"I don't know." He replied. "While she's in a coma, I can't access her mind."

He sighed.

"There must be something going on in there." He said. "I just wish I knew what."

* * *

"Why should we let you be in charge?"

Lily groaned.

They had been at this forever. Take three personalities, jam them into one brain, watch them kill each other. Who ever had decided that this was how it had to work should have their god card revoked.

"Will you two stop it?" Lily demanded, looking at her counterparts.

On one side sat a beautiful blonde with grey eyes. Alyssy, the Time Lord. The perfect arrangement of their DNA. She was absolutely sure that it was her body first, so she should have first rights.

On the other sat the Phoenix. She was a brunette and built for protection. She came out of their connection to the Vortex. Her eyes burned gold. As the strongest she was claiming supremacy.

And in the middle sat Lily. Black haired and human. Eyes like the storm with gold flecks. All she wanted was a cure for her migraine.

"We've been at this for days." She told them. "I am so sick of this room, I could scream. Also, if we don't wake up soon, the Doctor's going to go off the deep end."

That was about the only thing they all agreed on. The Doctor was the most important person to them.

"Do we have any idea how long it'll take to fully integrate?" she asked.

"We're already starting to lose some of our uniqueness." Alyssy said. "But I would imagine it will take several more days. It's not like there's a rule book for this. It's the only time this has ever happened."

"Well, all I know is I want to wake up." Lily said. "Up until I showed up in this room, I thought I was just going to die. Now all I want to do is see the Doctor again."

"Well…" the Phoenix said slowly. "Perhaps you should take the lead."

"Really?" both Lily and Alyssy asked at the same time.

"You are the closest to a middle ground we have." She explained. "And when we're finished coming together, the end result would be someone close to how you are already, so it makes sense."

"And it took us four days to come to this conclusion, why?" Lily asked.

"But it's my body!" Alyssy protested.

"That's why." Lily muttered.

The other two started to fight, but Lily whistled loudly, stopping the argument in its tracks.

"Okay, here's how it's going to go." She told them. "Alyssy, I know it was your body first, but it's been mine for the last twenty one years, so shut up. Phoenix, I know you're the stronger of the three of us, but right now we need to heal, not fight."

She looked at them.

"I'm taking the lead." She told them. "If only because the Doctor is waiting for me to wake up. We have to ease him into the changes that are going to come from the three of us becoming one person, and I'm the best choice to do that. Agreed?"

The other two sulked.

"Agreed?" Lily pushed.

"Agreed." The Phoenix said.

"I guess." Alyssy grudgingly replied.

"Great." Lily said, getting up. "I will see you two suckers later."

With that, she got up and marched out the door.

* * *

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Donna asked the Doctor walking over to him. "I'll stay with her."

"I'm fine." He told her.

"Okay, I know your Mister Stoic Time Lord, but I doubt Lily wants to wake up and take care of your sick ass." Donna told him.

"I don't need to sleep." The Doctor told her. "When I do, I promise I will tell you."

Donna huffed.

"At least eat something." She told him. "My mum thinks your starving yourself."

They both stopped as they heard a noise come from the bed.

The Doctor leaned forward, taking Lily's hand. He watched as her eyes fluttered and finally opened to reveal swirling grey and gold.

"Lily?" he asked softly.

"Don't worry." She whispered, her voice rough. "Alyssy and the Phoenix are duking it out in the background for second place, but I get to have control."

"I have no idea what you are talking about, but I don't care." The Doctor said. "You have no idea how good it is to hear you."

"It's nice to be-" she broke off.

"What?" the Doctor asked.

"Is that a southern drawl?" she asked, sounding horrified. "Did I go to sleep a New Yorker and wake up a Southerner?"

"At least you didn't turn British." He told her chuckling.

"There is that." She agreed. "How long was I out?"

"We're in day five." Donna said. "Nice to see you awake."

"How do I look?" Lily asked.

"You might want to take a moment." The Doctor told her.

"Why, am I horrible?" she asked.

"You're blonde." He replied.

He burst out laughing at her horrified expression.

"I'm southern and blonde?" she yelped.

"Are you hungry?" Donna asked as the Doctor laughed.

"Starving." Lily replied.

"I'll be right back." Donna told her, squeezing her arm before getting up and leaving.

Lily watched as she left before turning to the Doctor.

"Help me up?" she asked.

He nodded and reached down to take her hands and heaved her out and onto her feet.

Lily teetered for a second before getting her balance.

"I'm short!" she complained.

"Yes you are." The Doctor agreed.

She looked down at her feet, which were covered by the bottoms of her jeans. She pulled them up and walked over to the mirror.

Looking into it, she saw a shorter, blonde woman looking back. While her features had been sharp before, they now were soft. Her hair was shorter, falling to her shoulders instead of the small of her back.

"Well, at least I'm not Alyssy blonde." She muttered, fingering the honey blonde hair.

"What does that mean?" The Doctor questioned.

"I saw her in my head." She said. "Over the course of the last twenty one years, apparently The Phoenix, Alyssy, and I have grown into separate personalities. Now we're being forced into one body."

"Why are you in control and not one of them?" he asked. "No offence, but I would think you would be the least strong of the three."

"Thank you for not saying weak." She told him. "And I am. But we figured you would be waiting for me, so until we become one person again, we decided that I would take point. Coming to that decision took five excruciating days. We gave a whole new meaning to 'arguing with yourself'."

"So you'll eventually be one person and not three?" he asked.

"Yeah." Lily answered. "Alyssy thinks it will take a few more days."

"And the end result will be?" The Doctor asked.

"Someone fairly like me." She answered. "Some things will change, but we're pretty sure I was a pretty good middle ground to begin with."

"And…what about me?" The Doctor asked.

"What about you?" Lily asked with a slow smile.

He sighed.

"How do you…three…feel about me?" he asked.

She smiled.

"You were about the only thing we could all agree on." She told him softly. "We-I-love you. That hasn't changed and it won't."

"Good." He said smiling.

"Lunch is ready!" Donna called.

The Doctor held out his hand and Lily slipped hers into it. It still fit perfectly.

He smiled and led her out.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily stayed in the TARDIS outside Donna's house for the next four days as Lily got stronger.

About the third day she stopped referring to Alyssy and the Phoenix and they became I.

On the fourth afternoon, the Doctor found Lily sitting quietly on the ground in Donna's backyard. Donna and her family had gone to the store, leaving the two Time Lords with strict instructions not to break anything.

"Lily-girl?" he called.

She quickly wiped tears from her face.

He sat down next to her and saw that her eyes were red.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

The bond was still reasserting its self, so he really had no idea what was going on in her head.

"I remember everything." She told him softly. "I remember Gallifrey, I remember my family's rooms inside the House of Oakdown. I remember how much I loved playing in the fields around our lands. I remember my friends inside the Temple."

Her voice broke.

"I remember that it's all gone." She said, tears falling down her cheeks.

He wrapped his arm around her and she buried her face in his shoulder. They stayed that way for a while.

Finally, her sobs subsided and she sat up, wiping the tears from her face.

"I know you're bored." She said softly. "I know you'd rather be roaming, not stuck here on Earth."

"I don't mind." He told her.

"But I do." She replied.

She sighed and pulled away slightly.

"I need to figure out who I am." She told him. "And I can't do that with you here. And…I need to come to terms with what I did."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I destroyed the Daleks." She said. "I committed genocide. I need to see if I have it in me to forgive myself, if I have it in me to not hate myself. I can't ask you to forgive me until I know."

"You forgave me." He said. "You knew I committed genocide against our own people, but you didn't hate me."

"But I also know you hate yourself." She replied softly.

He was silent.

"I love you." She told him. "But I need to find my way without you."

"Do you have a time frame for this?" he asked softly.

She shook her head.

"I think it's more of a 'I'll know I'm done when I'm done' kind of thing." She replied.

He nodded.

"I'm going to go stay with Jack." She told him. "Maybe work with Torchwood for awhile. They need people now that Owen and Tosh are gone. He's already recruited Mickey, and Martha's about to leave UNIT, but I figure having a Time Lord on payroll will make him happy."

The Doctor nodded again, and she reached over and took his hand.

"I need to know that I can do this." She told him. "On my own, without you to protect me."

She got to her feet and reached down to him.

He hesitated a second before letting her pull him up.

"I love you." He told her. "And when you're ready, all you have to do is call, and I will be there. Not a second later."

"I know." She told him smiling. "And I love you too."

He leaned down and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She hesitated a moment before wrapping her arms around his neck and letting herself go.

"All you have to do is call." He whispered. "I'll be right there."

"I will." She replied.

He pulled away, gently touching her face, before turning and walking away.

She watched him leave without a word.

* * *

"Doctor?" Donna called as she walked in. "Lily?"

Lily came walking out of the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee.

"Where's the TARDIS?" Donna asked. "I thought you guys had left."

"The Doctor has." Lily replied.

"What?" Donna demanded.

"I sent him away." Lily told her.

"Why?" she asked.

"I need to find who I am away from him, and I can't ask him to wait around for me." Lily replied, shrugging. "Tomorrow, I'm going to Cardiff to stay with Jack. Do you want to come and help me get set up?"

"Sure." Donna told her. "Are you sure it was the right thing to do? Sending the Doctor away?"

Lily walked to the window and looked up at the night sky.

"Yeah." She said softly.

In the distance she saw a blue box flying off into the night.

A/N: First chapter of Someday. What do you guys think? Hit or miss?

Abbey


	3. The Next Doctor: Starting Over

Disclaimer: My heart longs for that which I will never have.

Ch. 3:

There was a knock at the door.

Lily ran to open it and outside was Captain Jack Harkness.

"Took you long enough." She said.

She laughed and jumped into his arms and he twirled her around.

"You look amazing." He told her.

"Yeah, slight problem, though." Lily replied.

"What?" he asked.

"None of my clothes fit." She told him, smiling sheepishly.

Jack sighed.

"I'll start transferring money now." He told her. "Just try to keep it under 5,000 pounds this time."

"I love you, Jack." She told him, grinning. "Come on in."

"Are you ready to go?" he asked as he stepped through the door.

"Almost." Lily replied. "Donna and I were just finishing breakfast. You want something?"

"Nah, I'm good." He replied.

She led him into the kitchen where Donna was sitting.

"Hey there, Captain boy." Donna said. "Nice of you to join us."

"Nice to see you, too, Donna." Jack said, sitting down.

"How's Ianto and Gwen?" Lily asked as she picked up her plate.

"They're good." Jack replied. "Martha's leaving UNIT in two weeks, and Mickey is getting settled in."

"Is this your subtle way of telling me you don't need me?" Lily asked, smiling.

"No, this is my subtle way of telling you that everyone is at the Hub ready to throw you a welcome home party." Jack replied.

Lily laughed and took her plate to the sink, grabbing Donna's as she went.

"Oi!" Donna yelled. "I was still eating that!"

"Snooze, you lose." Lily shot back, putting both plates in the sink.

"You suck." Donna told her.

"Bite me." She replied, smirking.

She walked over and grabbed her coat off the hook. Before the Doctor had left, Lily had managed to steal some clothes from the Wardrobe, so at least she wasn't wearing Donna's.

"Let's get this show on the road." She said.

* * *

They drove to Cardiff.

Then Jack swore he was never riding in a car with Lily until she regenerated again.

"It wasn't that bad." Lily told him as they walked up to Torchwood's store front.

"You asked if we were there yet 362 times!" he shot back.

"You counted?" Lily asked.

"Never again." He told her, opening the door for the women. "Do you hear me? Never. Again."

"Wuss." She told him as she walked by.

Donna shook her head and followed Lily in.

Jack led them down into the Hub and inside they found Ianto, Gwen, Martha, and Mickey waiting with an obscene amount of food.

"You guys." Lily said. "You didn't have do this."

"Please just tell me you went and bought this and didn't have it delivered under the name of Torchwood again." Jack pleaded.

Gwen and Ianto smiled sadly.

"Actually, we did have to do this." Mickey told Lily.

"Yeah, the Doctor stopped by and told us that if we didn't make you as happy as possible, he'd send some monster after us." Martha told her, walking up to her and hugging her. "It's great to see you."

She pulled back and looked her friend over.

"Even if it doesn't look like you." She added.

Lily laughed.

"Thanks so much for this." Lily told her friends. "Now can I eat? I worked up an appetite on the way here."

"Yeah, driving me nuts." Jack muttered.

* * *

Everyone sat around, drinking and eating and talking and laughing.

"So, where do you think the Doctor is?" Mickey asked Lily.

Lily smiled.

"Probably well on his way to getting in trouble." She replied.

* * *

The TARDIS materialized under an archway, sheltered from the falling snow.

The Doctor walked out and grinned. Everywhere he looked was out of a story. He walked down the alley to a marketplace filled with horses and stalls, selling everything from fruit and vegetables to eggs and live hens.

There were even carol singers.

"You there, boy, what day is this?" the Doctor called.

"Christmas Eve, sir." The boy replied.

"And what year?" he asked.

"You thick or something?" the boy asked.

"Oi!" the Doctor shot back. "Just answer the question."

"The year of our Lord 1851, sir." The boy replied.

"Right." The Doctor said, nodding. "Nice year. Bit dull."

"Doctor!" someone shouted.

The Doctor looked around in bemusement.

"Who, me?" he called before running towards the voice in delight.

"Doctor!" a young black woman called.

"All right, don't worry." He told her. "Stand back. What've we got here?"

They both jumped back as the door surged forward.

"Ooh." The Doctor hissed. "Okay, I've got it and whatever's behind that door, I think you should get out of here."

"Doctor!" the woman yelled.

"Hold on, I'm standing right here." He told her. "Hello!"

"Don't be stupid!" she told him. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor." He replied.

"Doctor who?" she asked.

"Just the Doctor." He told her.

"Well, there can't be two of you!" she shot back.

Another man ran up behind them.

"Where the hell have you been?" she demanded.

"Right then, don't worry." He said. "Stand back. What've we got here then?"

"Hold on, hold on, who are you?" the Doctor demanded.

"I'm the Doctor." The man replied. "Simply the Doctor. The one, the only, and the best."

He winked before continuing on.

"Rosita, give me the sonic screwdriver." He ordered.

The woman handed something over.

"The what?" the Doctor asked.

"Now quickly, get back to the TARDIS." The man ordered.

"Back to the what?" The Doctor demanded.

"If you could stand back, sir, this is a job for a Time Lord." The man declared.

"Job for a what lord?" the Doctor asked.

The door burst open and both men leapt back. Inside as a black figure, wearing a bronze Cyberman mask.

"Oh, that's new!" Both men said.

The creature crawled forward and both men pulled out their sonic screwdrivers.

"Allons-y!" they called.

The Doctor looked at the other man.

The bronze face turned from side to side, studying them.

"I've been hunting this beast for a good fortnight now." The man declared. "Step back, sir!"

The thing leapt over them and onto the wall behind them. All three turned and stared, stunned.

"Some sort of primitive conversion." The Doctor said. "Like it took the brain of a cat or dog."

"Well, talking's all very well." The other man said. "Rosita!"

She appeared with a ridiculous amount of rope wrapped around her shoulder.

"I'm ready." She told him.

"And now, watch and learn." The man said.

He began to swing the rope, almost hitting the Doctor twice, before throwing it and catching the cyberthing.

"Excellent!" he called. "Now then, let's pull this timorous beastie down to Earth."

The thing began to climb the wall, pulling the man with it.

"Or not." The Doctor muttered. "Oh man, I'm starting to sound like Lily."

"Ah." The man said. "I might be in a little bit of trouble."

"Nothing changes!" the Doctor said, grabbing the rope. "I've got you!"

The Doctor looked up the wall and his eyes widened as he was hauled upwards. Both men struggled as Rosita watched them from below.

"You idiot!" she yelled.

"Perhaps if you could pull…" the man told the Doctor.

"I am pulling!" he yelled back. "In this position, I couldn't not pull, could I?"

"Then I suggest you let go, sir." The man said.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight, Doctor!" the Doctor told him. "Don't you recognize me?"

"No, should I?" he asked. "Have we met? This is hardly the right time for me to go through my social calendar! Aaagh!"

The creature pulled them through a window, dragging them across the floor as they both yelled and screamed.

It head straight for another window.

"It's gonna jump!" the Doctor yelled.

"We're gonna fall!" the other man added.

Suddenly Rosita appeared with an ax and cut the rope.

Both men lay on the ground, slowly getting to their feet.

"Oh, am I glad Lily isn't here to see this." The Doctor said. "She'd have a field day."

The other man stood up and they looked at each other for a moment before bursting into hysterical laughter and hugging each other.

Rosita approached, looking at them like they were mad.

* * *

"Well, I'm glad you think it's so funny!" Rosita said as they walked down the stairs. "You're mad, both of you! You could of got killed!"

"But evidently we did not." The man said before turning to the Doctor. "Oh, I should introduce Rosita. My faithful companion, always telling me off."

"Well, they do, don't they?" the Doctor said. "Rosita. Good name. Hello, Rosita."

"Huh." She sneered. "Now I'll have to go and dismantle the traps. All that for nothing. And we've only got twenty minutes to the funeral, don't forget. Then back to the TARDIS, right?"

She stalked off.

"Funeral?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, long story." The other man told him. "Not my own, not yet. I'm not as young as I was."

"Not as young as you were when you were me." The Doctor said, smiling.

"When I was who?" he asked.

"You really don't recognize me?" the Doctor asked, his smile fading.

"Not at all!" the other man said.

"But you're the Doctor!" the Doctor said, smiling again. "The next Doctor. Or the next but one. Future Doctor anyway."

He stepped away from him.

"No, no, don't tell me how it happened." He said. "Although-hope I don't just trip over a brick. That'd be embarrassing. Then again-painless. Worse ways to go. Depends on the brick. Just tell me that Lily didn't finally kill me. Speaking of, where is your lovely mate? I can't imagine she'd let you wander around alone like this."

"You're gabbling, sir." The man told him. "And might I ask, who are you exactly?"

The Doctor hesitated.

"No, I'm-ah-I'm Smith, John Smith." He told the man finally. "But I've heard all about you, Doctor."

He smiled again.

"Bit of a legend, if I may say so myself." He said, flinching. "Geez, has she got me trained."

"Modesty forbids me to agree with you, sir." The other man said. "But yes, but yes, I am."

"A legend with-certain memories missing." The Doctor said hesitantly. "Am I right?"

"How d'you know that?" the man demanded.

"You've forgotten me…" the Doctor told him. "And, more importantly, you've forgotten Lily."

"Great swathes of my life have been stolen away." The man told him. "When I turn my mind to the past, there's nothing."

"Well, let's hope you haven't left Lily someplace, because she will make ou-your life hell." The Doctor told him. "How far back can you not remember?"

"Since the Cybermen." The man replied. "Masters of the hellish warscuttler and old enemies of mine. Now at work in London Town. You won't believe this, Mr. Smith, but they are creatures from another world."

"Really?" the Doctor said, trying to look surprised and failing miserably. "Wow."

"'Tis said they fell onto London." The man continued. "Out of the sky in a blaze of light. And they found me."

He stared into a fire that was in front of them.

"Something was taken." He said. "And something was lost."

He looked at the Doctor eagerly.

"What was I like in the past?" he asked.

"Wh…I…I don't think I should say." The Doctor answered. "Sorry. Gotta be careful with memory loss. One wrong word…"

"Strange, though." The man said. "I talk of Cybermen from the stars and you don't blink, Mr. Smith."

"Ah, don't blink!" the Doctor said excitedly. "Remember that? Whatever you do, don't blink? With the blinking and the statues and Sally and the angels and Lily threatening to kill if one more appliance blew up and-no?"

The other man stared at him.

"You're a very odd man." He told the Doctor.

"Mm, I still am." The Doctor said, eyeing the man. "Something's wrong here…"

"Oh, the funeral!" the man suddenly exclaimed. "The funeral's at two o'clock! It's been a pleasure, Mr. Smith. Don't breathe a word of it."

"Oh, but can't I come with you?" the Doctor asked.

"Far too dangerous." The man replied. "Rest assured, I shall keep this city safe. Oh, and, uh, Merry Christmas, Mr. Smith."

"Merry Christmas, Doctor." The Doctor replied.

He watched as the man ran off.

A second later, he followed.

A/N: First chapter of the Next Doctor. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	4. The Next Doctor: Finding Answers

Disclaimer: Every time I try to type the word own, I type won. My subconscious coming through in my desire to win the Doctor?

Ch. 4:

The Doctor watched the other Doctor and Rosita from behind a nearby gate.

"The late Reverend Fairchild leaving his place of residence for the last time." The other Doctor said. "God rest his soul. Now, with the house empty I shall affect an entry to the rear while you go back to the TARDIS. This is hardly work for a woman."

"Hoh, don't mind me saving your life." Rosita shot back. "That's work for a woman, isn't it?"

"The Doctor's companion does what the Doctor says." The other Doctor told her. "Off you go."

"I wish." The Doctor muttered to himself.

As the other Doctor moved to the back of the house, the Doctor walked up to the front door and quickly sonic-ed his way in. He quickly moved to the back and heard scratching on the door. He opened it to find the other Doctor hunched over the door knob.

"Hello!" the Doctor said brightly.

"How did you get in?" the other Doctor demanded.

"Oh, front door." The Doctor answered, pointing over his shoulder. "I'm good at doors. Um…would you mind my asking, is that your sonic screwdriver?"

"Yes." The man replied, holding up a plain screwdriver. "I'd be lost without it."

"But that's a screwdriver." The Doctor said. "How's it…sonic?"

"Well, uh, makes a noise." He replied, tapping it on the doorjamb. "That's sonic, isn't it? Now since we're acting like common burglars, I suggest we get out of plain view."

The Doctor moved out of the way and shut the door after the other Doctor.

"This investigation of yours, what's it all about?" the Doctor asked as they moved into the main room.

"It started with a murder." The other Doctor told him.

"Oh. Good." He said, leaning on the desk the other Doctor was looking through.

The other Doctor turned and stared at him.

"I mean, bad, but whose?" the Doctor said.

The other man went back to looking through papers.

"Mr. Jackson Lake." The other Doctor replied. "A teacher of mathematics from Sussex. Came to London three weeks ago and died a terrible death."

"Cybermen?" the Doctor asked.

"It's hard to say." He answered. "His body was never found. But then it started. More secret murders, then abductions."

He paused.

"Children." He said softly. "Stolen away in silence."

He gave up on the desk and moved on to another.

The Doctor perched on the desk he had left and watched him.

"So whose house is this?" the Doctor asked.

"The latest murder." The other Doctor answered. "The Reverend Aubrey Fairchild. Found with burns to his forehead."

He turned to look the Doctor, his face serious.

"Like some advanced form of electrocution." He told him.

"But who was he?" the Doctor asked. "Was he important?"

"You ask a lot of questions." The other Doctor asked, suspiciously.

"I'm your companion!" the Doctor said happily.

The other Doctor smiled faintly.

"The Reverend was the pillar of the community." He told the Doctor. "A member of many parish boards. Keen advocate of children's charities."

"Children again." The Doctor said, thoughtfully. "But why would the Cybermen want him dead? And what's his connection to the first death, this Jackson Lake?"

"It's funny." The other Doctor said softly. "I seem to be telling you everything. As though you engendered some sort of…trust." He paused. "You seem familiar, Mr. Smith. I know your face. But how?"

"I wonder." The Doctor said, pausing. "I can't help noticing you're wearing a fob watch."

He glanced down at the watch and back up.

"Is that important?" the other man asked, looking down at the watch.

The Doctor got up from the desk and walked towards him.

"Legend has it that the memories of a Time Lord can be contained within a watch." He said, holding out his hand. "D'you mind?"

The other Doctor removed the watch and handed it to the Doctor.

"It's said that if it's opened…" the Doctor said softly, holding up the watch.

He opened it and the watch face fell out.

"Ooh, maybe not…" the Doctor said.

"It was more for decoration." The other Doctor told him, smiling.

"Yeah." The Doctor replied, embarrassed. "Anyway, alien infiltration."

He quickly turned away.

"Yes." The other Doctor said, going back to his searching. "We must look for anything different. Possibly metal. Anything that doesn't seem to belong. Perhaps a mechanical device that can fit no Earthly engine. It could even seem to be organic."

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and began scanning the room, careful to keep it out of the other Doctor's sight.

"But unlike any organism of the natural world." The other man continued.

He suddenly stopped searching.

"Shh!" he called. "What's that noise?"

The Doctor quickly shut off the sonic screwdriver and flipped it before pocketing it.

"Oh, it's just…me." The Doctor said. "Whistling."

He quickly did a bad imitation of the sonic screwdriver and the other Doctor threw down some papers in irritation.

"I wonder what's in here though?" the Doctor said, pointing to the desk he had just been scanning.

He went to it and pulled a metal canister.

"Ah, different and metal, you were right." The Doctor said. "They are infostamps."

The other Doctor looked at him strangely.

"I mean, at a guess." The Doctor covered. "Ah, if I were you…I'd say they worked something like this."

He pressed a button and sepia images appeared on the mirror behind him.

"See, compressed information. Tons of it." He said, turning around and putting on his glasses. "That is the history of London, 1066 to the present day."

The other Doctor stared at the device in his hands.

"This is like a disc, cyber disc." The Doctor murmured. "But why would the Cybermen need something so simple?"

The other Doctor walked over to a chair and dropped into it, pain on his face.

"They've got to be wireless!" the Doctor continued. "Unless…they're in the wrong century. They haven't got much power."

He turned off the infostamp.

"They've been playing the basic infostamps to update themselves." He concluded.

He glanced at the other Doctor in concern.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Fine." The other man gasped.

The Doctor came over and kneeled in front of him.

"No, what is it?" the Doctor asked. "What's wrong?"

"I've seen one of these before." The other Doctor told him. "I was holding…this device…the night I lost my mind. The night I regenerated."

The Doctor frowned.

"The Cybermen!" the other Doctor continued, in tears. "They made me change. My mind, my face, my whole self."

He clutched the Doctor's face.

"And you were there!" he said fiercely. "Who are you?"

"A friend." The Doctor told him softly. "I swear."

"Then I beg you, John," the other Doctor said, "help me."

"Ah. Two words I never refuse." The Doctor said with a half smile. "But…not a conversation for a dead man's house."

He stood up quickly and began moving around the room.

"It'll make more sense if we go back to the TARDIS." The Doctor told him. "Your, ah, TARDIS. I just need to do a little final check. Won't take a tic."

He opened a door and closed it.

"'Cause there's one more thing I can't believe." He called. "If this room's got infostamps, then maybe, just maybe, it's got something that needs infostamping."

He opened another door and found a Cyberman.

"Okay." He said calmly, shutting the door. "I think we should run."

He ran to the other Doctor and pulled him up as the door burst open.

"Come on, Doctor!" he yelled. "Now, look."

"Delete!" the Cyberman said.

The Doctor pushed the other Doctor out of the room and slammed the door shut and soniced it. They ran down the hall, but another Cyberman came out of a different door.

"The Doctor will be deleted." The second Cyberman said.

"Delete!" the first said.

The Doctor grabbed the other Doctor's arm and pushed him towards the stairs.

"Stairs!" he called. "Come on, we'll lead them outside!"

The other Doctor started up the stairs, but the Doctor reached out and grabbed a handle from a near-by coat rack, but it turned out to be an umbrella that popped open before he could throw it away.

The Cybermen entered.

"Delete!"

The Doctor grabbed a sword on the wall.

"Ah!" he yelled, brandishing it. "I'm a dab hand with a cutlass. You don't want to come near me when I've got one of these. This is your last warning."

The Cybermen kept advancing.

"No?" he asked. "Okay, this is really your last warn-okay, I give up."

He turned and ran up the stairs.

"Delete!" the Cybermen called, following.

"Listen to me properly!" the Doctor yelled. "Whatever you're doing, it's not going to make any difference. Ah!"

He blocked an attack.

"I can help!" he told them. "I mean it! I'm the only one in the world who can help you! Listen to me!"

He fended off another attack.

"Delete!"

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor shouted.

The other Doctor stared at him in horror.

"You need me." The Doctor continued. "Check your memory banks! My name's the Doctor!"

He glanced at the other Doctor.

"Leave this man alone!" he yelled at them.

He was forced on to his back and he put his feet on the Cyberman's chest.

"The Doctor is me!" he told them through clenched teeth.

He kicked the Cyberman and pushed both down the stairs, but they both got up and continued attacking.

"I'm the Doctor, remember?" he said. "Ah!"

He blocked an attack again.

"I'm the Doctor!" he called. "Oh! You need me alive. You need the Doctor and that's me!"

The Doctor's cutlass was ripped from his hands as the Cyberman pushed him to the floor.

"Delete!"

Suddenly a beam of light hit first one Cyberman, and then the other, sending them to their knees.

The Doctor got up and saw that the other Doctor was using the infostamp to attack the Cybermen.

Finally, the heads of the Cybermen exploded and the beam cut off. The Doctor laughed in shock, but the other Doctor collapsed against a dresser.

"Infostamp with a cyclo-stone core!" the Doctor exclaimed. "You ripped open the core and broke the safety! Zap! Hoh, only the Doctor would think of that!"

"I did that." The other Doctor said, shaking. "Last time."

"Come here, you'll be okay." The Doctor said sympathetically, pulling the other man up. "Let me just check."

He pulled out his stethoscope and laid it against the man's chest.

"You told them you were the Doctor." The other Doctor said breathlessly. "Why did you do that?"

"Oh, just protecting you." The Doctor replied carefully.

"You tried to take away the only thing I've got." The other Doctor told him as the Doctor listened to his heart. "Like they did. They stole something. Something so precious." He began to cry. "But…I can't remember. What happened to me? What did they do?"

"We'll find out." The Doctor told him as he removed the stethoscope. "You and me together."

* * *

"Are you sure?" Donna asked as she stood in front of the car. "I could stay for a few more days."

Lily laughed at her friend.

"I'm not the only one who needs to learn to live without the Doctor." She told Donna. "Go home. I'll be fine."

"If you're sure…" Donna said.

"Get in the damn car." Lily told her, chuckling.

Donna smiled and got in. A second later, it took off and Lily waved until she couldn't see it anymore.

"You ready to get to work?" Jack asked, coming up behind her.

"Show me the way." She replied, smiling.

"Come on." Jack said, wrapping his arm around her and leading her inside. "First things first, we need to get you a gun."

"No." Lily said, stopping. "No guns."

"You run with Torchwood, you got to carry a gun." Jack told her.

"Then let me rephrase." Lily told him. "I don't need a gun."

"What are you going to do if we're attacked?" Jack demanded.

Lily grinned and waved her hand at a nearby post. It disappeared, leaving only a pile of dust.

"I guess that'll work." Jack said, staring at the pile.

"Thought you'd see it my way." Lily said smugly.

"Don't make me regret hiring you." He said with mock sternness.

"Yes, sir." Lily replied, snapping into a salute.

"Get inside." Jack said, pointing to the door.

Lily smiled and sauntered in as Jack shook his head.

They made it downstairs and Ianto stopped them.

"We got an alert." He told them.

"What kind?" Jack asked, suddenly all business.

"Strange death." Gwen called. "Report says the body was torn apart."

"You sure about that gun?" Jack asked Lily.

She nodded.

"Then let's get this show on the road." Jack said.

When they arrived at the scene, it was cordoned off and there was a tent covering the main part.

"Oh, that's never a good sign." Jack said.

"Oh look who decided to show up." A detective said walking up. "Bloody Torchwood."

"Nice to see you too." Jack replied.

"Well this is your mess now." The man told them. "We're clearing out. Have fun."

Jack smiled at him in a not so nice way and the man stalked off.

The group made their way in and Gwen groaned.

"Torn apart was an understatement." She said, swallowing.

Lily kneeled next to some of the pieces and Jack handed her a pair of gloves.

"What?" she said looking up at him. "Oh, thanks."

She put them on and pointed.

"Can I…?" she asked.

He nodded and she gently picked up a piece of bone.

"This is the work of Te'kla." She said. "See the teeth marks? It must have come through the rift. But they're mindless killers. I've never heard of one attacking just one person."

"The report said he was walking with his wife when they were attacked." Gwen said, reading the file in her hand. "Oh, she's pregnant. Lovely."

"That's even stranger." Lily said, looking back at the remains. "Te'klas go after the strongest life forces they can find first. It shouldn't have been able to resist a woman with child. The power of both life forces should have sent it into a frenzy."

"So what does that mean?" Mickey asked.

"It means something's controlling it." Jack answered. "And that they sent it after this man in particular."

"I don't think so." Lily said, picking her way through the remains. "There have been no other killings like this?"

"No, I think we would've heard about it." Jack replied.

"Then why did it go after its master?" Lily asked.

She turned to find them all staring at her and she held up what looked like a crystal.

"Control crystal." She told them. "Developed by the Shinte, the humanoid species that shares their planet with the Te'klas. They use them in battle instead of sending troops. The crystals allow them to direct the Te'klas instead of just letting them lose. The crystal must have come through with the creature."

Lily turned back around and surveyed the scene.

"If there's an uncontrolled Te'kla out there, things are going to get worse." She told them. "Fast."

A/N: Second chapter of the Next Doctor. I was going to split up Lily's story line from the Doctor's, but decided to do it this way. Tell me what you think.

Abbey


	5. The Next Doctor: Seeing Truth

Disclaimer: I own Lily, but it just doesn't seem to be enough.

Ch. 5:

It had been three hours since the first body and already three more had appeared.

"This makes no sense." Lily said, looking at the map marking the bodies. "Why is it being so careful?"

"There are already three more people dead!" Mickey told her. "How is that careful?"

"There should be more." Lily murmured, studying the locations. "It shouldn't be just these four, so spread out from each other. It should be attacking everything it can find."

"So, to recap, we're upset because it hasn't attacked _more_ people?" Mickey asked.

"Yes." Lily said, not taking her eyes off the map.

She turned around.

"No." she said. "I'm upset because I don't understand what it's doing."

"You trained at the Temple." Jack told her. "Maybe there's something you missed by not training at the Academy."

"No." Lily told him. "Novices at the Temple learned the same things as the students at the Academy, with them. It was only when we became Adepts that our lessons changed. And even then they didn't take away anything, they just added things like politics and Vortex manipulation."

"Vortex manipulation?" Ianto asked.

Lily turned back to the map.

"We were taught to use the vortex to see timelines." Lily murmured, her thoughts back on the map. "I was never very good at it even though I was training to be High Priestess."

She put her finger on the four spots.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

She suddenly turned and stalked out of the room.

* * *

Rosita came running out of the building as the two men approached.

"Doctor!" she called. "I thought you were dead!"

She grabbed him in a hug.

"Oh, now then, Rosita." The other Doctor said. "A little decorum."

"But…you've been gone for so long!" she said.

She turned to the Doctor.

"He's always doing this!" she told him. "Leaving me behind, going frantic!"

"What about the TARDIS?" the other Doctor asked her.

"Oh, she's ready." She replied. "Come on!"

"I'm looking forward to this!" the Doctor said, smiling softly as he followed them into the building.

Inside was a disused stable filled with luggage.

"You were right, though, Rosita." The other Doctor told her. "The Reverend Fairchild's death was the work of the Cybermen."

"So…you live here?" the Doctor asked, looking around.

"A temporary base until we rout the enemy." The other Doctor told him as he pulled out a cloth and wetted it down. "The TARDIS is magnificent, but it's hardly a home."

"Oh, I think Lily would disagree with you there." The Doctor said. "And where's the TARDIS now?"

"In the yard." The other Doctor answered as he washed his face. "This Lily you speak of, who is she?"

"She…uh…she's important, let's just leave it at that, yeah?" the Doctor said. "What's all this luggage?"

"Evidence." The other Doctor replied. "Property of Jackson Lake, the first man to be murdered."

The Doctor nodded.

"Oh, but my new friend is a fighter, Rosita, much like myself." The other Doctor continued. "He faced the Cybermen with a cutlass." His voice got soft. "I'm not ashamed to say he was braver than I."

In the background, the Doctor took out the sonic screwdriver and began scanning the luggage.

"He was quite brilliant." The other Doctor finished.

Rosita looked over when she heard the noise and the other Doctor sat up straighter.

"Are you whistling again?" he asked the Doctor.

"Yes." The Doctor replied, hiding the screwdriver as he turned around. "Yes, I am, yeah. Yep."

The other Doctor shook his head and turned back around as the Doctor pocketed the screwdriver and mouthed 'shh' to Rosita. She walked over to him as he pulled off a blanket covering some of the luggage.

"That's another man's property." She told him.

"Well, a dead man's…" he said as he opened the case.

He nodded his head to the other Doctor.

"How did you two meet?" he asked.

"He saved my life." She replied, glancing at the other Doctor. "Late one night, by the Ostler's Warf, this creature came out of the shadows. A man made of metal. Thought I was gonna die. And then…there he was. The Doctor."

She glanced back at the other man.

"Can you help him, sir?" she asked the Doctor. "He has such terrible dreams. Wakes at night in such a state of terror."

"Oh, no, Rosita." The other Doctor said, walking towards them. "With all the things a Time Lord has seen, everything he's lost, he must surely have bad dreams."

The Doctor studied him.

"Yeah." He finally agreed.

He kept going through the case.

"Ooh, now, look." He said, pulling something out. "Jackson Lake had an infostamp."

"But how?" the other Doctor asked, stepping forward. "Is that significant?"

"Doctor, the answer to all this is in your TARDIS." The Doctor told him. "Can I see it?"

The other Doctor smiled brightly.

"Mr. Smith, it would be my honor." He told him.

He led them out of the stables into the courtyard.

"There she is!" the other Doctor said proudly. "My transport through time and space."

In front of them was a giant, blue, hot-air balloon.

"The TARDIS!" the other Doctor proclaimed.

"You've got a…balloon." The Doctor sputtered.

"TARDIS." The other Doctor announced. "T-A-R-D-I-S. It stands for Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style."

He laughed.

"D'you see?" he asked.

"Well…I do now." The Doctor said, tugging on his left ear, nodding. "I like it. Good. TARDIS. Yeah. Brilliant. Nice one. Is it inflated by…gas, yeah?"

He walked over and looked at it more closely.

"We're adjacent to the Mutton Street gasworks." The other Doctor told him, rubbing his hands together. "I pay them a modest fee."

He patted the man standing there on the shoulder.

"Good work, Jed." He told him.

"Glad to be of service, sir." Jed replied.

The other Doctor handed over a large banknote from a large pile of them.

"You've got quite a bit of money." The Doctor said thoughtfully.

"Oh, you get nothing for nothing." The other Doctor replied. "How's that ripped panel, Jed?"

"All repaired. Should work a treat." He replied as the other Doctor capped him on the shoulder again. "Never know, maybe tonight's the night, Doctor. Imagine it, seeing Christmas from above."

"Well, not just yet, I think." The other Doctor said, uneasily. "One day I will ascend. One day soon."

"You've never been up." The Doctor said, knowingly.

"He dreams of leaving, but never does." Rosita said.

"I can depart, in the TARDIS, once London is safe." The other Doctor said solemnly. "An finally, when I'm up there…think of it, John. Time and space."

"The perfect escape." The Doctor said. "Do you ever wonder what you're escaping from?"

"With every moment." The other Doctor replied.

"Then do you want me to tell you?" the Doctor asked.

The other Doctor looked at him.

"'Cause I think I've worked it out now." He continued. "How you became the Doctor. What d'you thing? D'you want to know?"

* * *

Jack found Lily sitting in the same place he had found her the first time he met her.

"You always find me." She said as he walked up. "Even when I don't want you too."

"Maybe you should find a different hiding spot." He said, leaning against the railing next to her.

"I made a mistake." She said. "Sending him away. I can't do this on my own."

She sighed.

"He would've come up with the answer by now." She said softly. "Seen some little clue that means nothing to the rest of us and everything to him."

"I think you're underestimating yourself." Jack told her.

"Then why can't I see it?" she asked. "The thing should've attacked half the city by now, so why is it waiting?"

"Maybe it's hunting?" Jack suggested.

"That would imply there's bigger game here than a city full of humans." She replied, and then she stopped.

"I'm an idiot." She said. "I spent too long as human, and now that I'm Time Lord, I'm still thinking like a human."

"What?" Jack asked.

"It is hunting." She told him. "Think about it, it tracks life forces. So what life forces are stronger than a humans?"

Realization dawned on Jack's face.

"You and me." He said.

"Exactly." Lily said. "It's waiting because it's concentrating on the big game."

She suddenly froze.

"And I think it's found us." She whispered.

They turned around and behind them was a dark figure. They heard it snap it's jaws and saw the flash of its teeth.

"Oh." Lily said. "Nice…monster?"

It jumped.

* * *

The Doctor was sitting on some of Jackson Lake's luggage with his feet on a small table, and the other Doctor and Rosita on the other side of it from him.

"The story begins with the Cybermen." The Doctor said. "A long time away, and not so far from here, the Cybermen were fought, and they were beaten, and they were sent into a howling wilderness called the Void. Locked inside forever more. But then a greater battle rose up. So great that everything inside the Void perished. But as the walls of the world weakened, the last of the Cybermen must have fallen through the dimensions, back in time, to land her. And they found you."

Rosita looked between the two men.

"I fought them, I know that." The other Doctor said, his voice pained. "But what happened?"

"At the same time another man came to London. Mr. Jackson Lake." The Doctor continued. "Plenty of luggage, money in his pocket, maybe coming to town for the winter season, I don't know. But he found the Cybermen, too. And just like you, exactly like you, he took hold of an infostamp."

"But he's dead." The other Doctor said. "Jackson Lake is dead. The Cybermen murdered him."

"You said no body was ever found." The Doctor told him. "And you kept all his suitcases, but you could never bring yourself to open them. I told you the answer was in the fob watch. Can I see?"

The other man pulled out the watch and handed it to him.

The Doctor revealed an engraving on the back.

"JL." The Doctor said. "The watch is Jackson Lake's."

"Jackson Lake is…you, sir?" Rosita said, horrified.

"But I'm the Doctor." The other man said feebly.

"You became the Doctor because the infostamp you picked up was book about one particular man." The Doctor told him.

He picked up an infostamp and activated it. It showed images of the Doctor's life and quickly flipped through pictures of the Doctor's various regenerations, finally landing on a picture of the tenth Doctor.

"But that's you." The man said.

"Time Lord, TARDIS, enemy of the Cybermen." The Doctor said, clicking his tongue. "The one and the only."

He turned off the infostamp as Jackson leaned his elbows on his knees and put his face in his hand.

"You see, the infostamp must have backfired." The Doctor told him. "Streamed all that information about me right inside of your head."

Tears fell down Jackson's face as he remembered what happened to him that night.

"I am nothing but a lie." He whispered.

"No, no, no, no, no." The Doctor told him, moving closer. "Infostamps are just facts and figures. All that bravery, saving Rosita, defending London Town, and the invention-building a TARDIS-that's all you."

"And what else?" Jackson demanded. "Tell me what else."

"Ah, there's still something missing, isn't there?" the Doctor said.

"I demand you tell me, sir!" Jackson said angrily. "Tell me what they took!"

"Sorry." The Doctor said. "Really, I am so sorry. But that's an awful lot of luggage for one man. Cause an infostamp is plain technology, it's not enough to make a man lose his mind. What you suffered is called a fugue. A fugue state. Where the mind just runs away because it can't bear to look back. You wanted to become someone else because Jackson Lake had lost so much."

The sound of bells rang out.

"Midnight." Rosita murmured. "Christmas day."

"I remember." Jackson said. "Oh, my God. Caroline. They killed my wife. They killed her."

Rosita tried to comfort him.

Something began beeping. The Doctor looked at the infostamp in his hand, which now had a blue light coming from it. There was another beeping and the Doctor began looking through the luggage.

"Ooh, you've found a whole cache of infostamps." The Doctor marveled.

"But what is it?" Rosita asked. "What's the noise?"

"Activation." The Doctor said. "Call to arms! The Cybermen are moving!"

The Doctor ran outside and saw the shadow of a line of people and ran towards it.

"The Doctor needs help." Jackson told Rosita. "I learned that much about him. There should be someone at his side."

He got up and turned away.

"Now go." He told her. "Go."

She reluctantly obeyed.

She ran out and found the Doctor watching as a line of children passed.

"What is it?" she asked. "What's happening?"

There was a man leading the children.

"But that's Mr. Cole." Rosita said. "He's master of the Houndslow Street workhouse. Maybe he's taking them to prayers."

"Oh, nothing as holy as that." The Doctor said.

He ran up and walked next to Mr. Cole and looked at the devices in his ears.

"Can you hear me?" he asked. "Hello? No? Mr. Cole, you seem to have something in your ear."

He pulled out the sonic screwdriver.

"Now, this might hurt a bit, but if I can just…"

A growl from one of the Cyber creatures cut him off.

"Ah, they're on guard." He said. "Can't risk a fight, not with the children."

"But where're they going?" Rosita asked.

"They all need a good whipping if you ask me." Jed said, walking up to them. "There's tons of them. I've just seen another lot coming down from the Ingleby workhouse, down Broadback Lane."

"Where's that?" the Doctor asked.

"This way." Rosita said, leading him.

They ran through the streets and found another line of children.

"Dozens of 'em!" Rosita marveled.

"What for?" the Doctor asked, puzzled.

They followed them to a building.

The children screamed as the doors opened and revealed two Cybermen.

"You will continue." The man leading them ordered. "You will enter the court of the CyberKing."

The cyber creatures guarded the children on both sides.

"March." The man ordered. "That is an order. March."

The terrified children entered the building, the man following behind.

A/N: Third chapter done. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	6. The Next Doctor: Making Choices

Disclaimer: I love the Doctor. That should be enough.

Ch. 6:

"That's the door to the sewers." Rosita said, pointing to the doors the children had just gone through. "All the sewage runs through there, straight to the Thames."

"Yeah, that's too well guarded." The Doctor said, looking towards the river. "We'll have to find another way in."

They moved away from the doors and almost ran into two Cybermen.

"Whoa, that's cheating, sneaking up!" he told them. "Did you have your legs on silent?"

A woman in a red dress moved to stand between them.

"So, what do we have here?" she asked.

"Listen." The Doctor told her. "Just walk towards me-slowly. Don't let them touch you."

"Oh, but they wouldn't hurt me." She told him. "My fine boys. They're my knights in shining armor. Quite literally."

"Even if they've converted you, that's not a cyber speech pattern." The Doctor told her. "You've still got free will. I'm telling you, step away!"

"There's been no conversion, sir." The woman said calmly. "No one's ever been able to change my mind. The Cybermen offered me the one thing I wanted. Liberation."

"Who are ya?" Rosita demanded.

"You can be quiet!" the woman said dismissively. "I doubt he paid you to talk!"

Rosita recoiled in offense.

"More importantly, who are you, sir, with such intimate knowledge of my companions?" the woman continued.

"I'm the Doctor." He answered simply.

"Incorrect." One of the Cybermen said. "You do not correspond to our image of the Doctor."

"Yeah, but that's 'cause your database got corrupted." The Doctor said, nodding. "Oh, look, look, look, check this. The Doctor's infostamp."

He threw it and the Cyberman caught it.

"Plug it in, go on, download." The Doctor told him.

"The core had been damaged." The Cyberman said, inspecting the infostamp. "This infostamp would damage Cyber units."

"Oh, well, nice try." The Doctor muttered.

"Core repaired." The Cyberman said. "Download."

The logo on his chest opened to reveal a port. The Cyberman attached the infostamp and was silent for a moment.

"You are the Doctor." He said finally.

"Hello." The Doctor replied, waving.

"You will be deleted." The Cyberman declared.

"No, no, b-b-b-b-but let me die happy." The Doctor said. "Tell me one thing, what do you need those children for?"

"What are children ever needed for?" the woman asked, smiling. "They're the workforce."

"But for what?" the Doctor asked.

"Very soon now the whole Empire will see." She replied. "And they will bow down in worship."

"And it's all in time for Christmas Day." The Doctor said. "Was that you idea, Miss…?"

"Hartigan." She answered. "And yes, the perfect day for a birth. With a new message for the people, only this time it won't be the words of a man."

"The birth of what?" the Doctor asked.

"A birth and a death-namely yours." Hartigan answered. "Thank you, Doctor. Glad to have been part of your very last conversation. Now, delete them."

"Delete."

The Doctor pushed Rosita behind him as the Cybermen marched forward. Then, they were suddenly hit by a blue beam from behind, causing them to collapse to the ground.

The Doctor looked to see Jackson, the cache of infostamps over his shoulder, switching one off.

"At your service, Doctor." He said.

"Shades!" Hartigan yelled. "SHAADES!"

"Run!" the Doctor yelled. "Come on!"

"SHAADES!"

"One last thing." Rosita said, stopping.

She ran back to Hartigan and slammed her fist into the woman's mouth.

"Can I say, I completely disapprove!" the Doctor said, not sounding very disapproving. "Come on!"

They quickly ran off.

* * *

Lily's power rolled away from her and towards the creature, but at the last moment, it pulled back and formed a bubble around her and Jack that the Te'kla slammed into. It fell to the ground and slowly picked itself up and began to circle the siblings.

Jack took out his revolver, but Lily stopped him.

"It's not his fault." She told him. "He's just following his instincts."

"So am I." Jack shot back.

"I won't let you kill him." Lily told him sternly.

Jack growled but he put away his gun.

"We need to get back to the Hub." Lily said.

"Yeah, well how are we going to do that with Fido there standing guard?" Jack asked.

"I'm going to hold him back and then we're going to…make a break for it." Lily finished lamely.

"Make a break for it?" Jack demanded. "That's your brilliant plan?"

"Hey!" Lily barked. "I'm making this up as I go. So, shut up!"

Jack sighed, but nodded.

"So, on the count of three?" Lily said. "One…Two…THREE!"

The bubble reversed itself so it was now around the Te'kla and Lily and Jack ran for the hub.

When they reached it, Lily put up a barrier.

"Will that hold it?" Jack asked.

"If it gets through the bubble holding it?" Lily said. "No, not really."

"Great." Jack said sarcastically.

"Doesn't matter anyway." Lily said, running for the door to Torchwood. "Him getting out is the least of our worries."

"How's that?" Jack asked, following her.

"I can't remember where I put the crystal." She answered.

Jack grabbed her arm and made her stop.

"You're going to try to control that thing?" he demanded. "It killed the last person who did that."

"Please." Lily said dismissively. "That was a human. I'm a Time Lord. I can control it, no problem."

Jack sighed and let her go.

"At least in theory." She added, darting away from him.

He growled again and followed her.

She ran into the Hub, surprising Gwen, Ianto, and Mickey as she ran frantically around, throwing things as she went.

"Crystal, crystal, where for art thou, crystal?" she called.

"Has she gone mental?" Mickey asked.

"Maybe." Jack answered. "The Te'kla's in a bubble she created outside."

"Nope, just broke through." She called as she ran up the stairs.

She ran into the conference room and began tearing apart the table.

"And there went the first door's barrier." She called.

"We're going to want guns." Gwen said.

"No!" Lily shouted. "No guns. Need crystal."

"She doesn't want to kill it." Jack elaborated. "She wants to control it. Too bad she can't remember where she put the crystal!"

He shouted the last sentence at her.

"Second door's barrier is down!" she called back.

There was a growl and they all turned to see the Te'kla in the doorway.

"LILY!" Jack shouted.

"I KNOW!" she shouted back.

There was a moment of stillness and then the Te'kla pounced.

* * *

Jackson, Rosita, and the Doctor found shelter under the eaves of a nearby building.

"That stronghold's down by the river." The Doctor said. "We've gotta find a way in."

"Oh, I'm ahead of you." Jackson told him. "My wife and I were moving to London so I could take up a post at the University. And while my memory is still not intact, this was in the luggage."

He pulled out a pack of papers and showed it to the Doctor.

"The deeds." He said. "15 Latimer Street. And if I discovered the Cybermen there, in the cellar, then…."

"That might be our way in!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Brilliant!"

"There's still more." Jackson said. "I remember the cellar. And my wife. But I swear there was something else in that room. If we can find that, perhaps that's the key to defeating these invaders. So, onwards."

The Doctor reached for Rosita as she passed.

"Maybe you shouldn't…"

"Don't even try!" she told him.

He smiled at her.

"Lily would love you." He told her.

"Thank you." She replied. "I think."

He shook his head as she walked off and followed.

They quickly made their way to the house and down into the cellar.

Jackson entered first and quickly dispatched the Cyberman guarding the entrance. The Doctor rushed past him and found a device.

"Must have been guarding this." He said. "A dimension vault. Stolen from the Daleks again. That's how the Cybermen travelled through time. Jackson, is this it? The thing you couldn't remember?"

"I don't think so." Jackson replied. "But I just can't see. It's like it's hidden."

"Ah, not enough power." The Doctor said as he studied the device. "Come on! Avanti!"

They made their way down into the sewers.

"What do the Cybermen want?" Rosita asked.

"They want us." The Doctor replied. "That's what Cybermen are. Humans without brains put into metal shells. They want every living thing to be like them."

They arrived at a sewer grate, and beyond it, they could see the children working.

"Upon my soul." Jackson breathed.

"What is it?" Rosita asked.

"It's an engine." The Doctor replied. "Generating electricity, but what for?"

"We could set them free." Jackson said, getting up.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no." the Doctor said, putting a hand on him.

He got up and moved away and Rosita followed, but Jackson remained behind, watching the children.

Finally, he got up and followed them.

The Doctor led them to a screen on a wall and put his glasses on as he studied it.

"Power at 90%." He said, grimacing. "But if we stop the engine, the power dies down, the Cybermen will come running. Ooh!"

The screen went blurry and he knocked on it.

"Hang on." He said. "Power fluctuation, that's not mean to happen."

"It's…going wrong." Jackson said.

"No, no, it's weird." The Doctor said, shaking his head. "The software's rewriting itself. It's changing."

Suddenly, the screen began to spark and smoke.

"Whoa!" the Doctor called, jumping back. "What's happening? It's out of control!"

"It's accelerating!" Jackson said. "96%, 97…"

"When it reaches 100, what about the children?" Rosita asked.

"They're disposable!" the Doctor answered, ripping off his glasses. "Come on!"

A klaxon blared as the Doctor and company ran.

The Doctor ran into the main room and across the platform where the children were working.

"Right, now, all of you out!" he shouted.

Jackson aimed one of the infostamps at a Cyberman, destroying it, and Rosita took care of another as the Doctor shepherded the children out.

"That's an order!" he shouted. "Every single one of you, run!"

"All of you, come on, as fast as you can, come on!" Jackson called.

"There's a hot pie for everyone if you leg it!" the Doctor added.

"Go!" Jackson yelled when he saw the way was clear.

"You need to get them as far as the sluice gate." The Doctor told Rosita. "Once you're out, keep running. Far as you can!"

Jackson and the Doctor continued to wave the children out as Rosita led them.

"Come on, come on, come on." The Doctor said.

The Doctor quickly looked around to make sure they hadn't missed anyone.

"Turn right at the corner, fast as you can!" Rosita yelled, waving the children along. "And don't stop! Keep running. Keep running!"

She quickly ran along and opened the big double doors and led the children out.

"Come on!" she shouted. "Keep running! Keep runnin!"

"Go on, quick, quick!" the Doctor called, chasing more children out.

He quickly put on his glasses to examine the machine.

"It's some sort of starter motor." He said.

Jackson stood, not listening as he watched children run by.

"But starting what?" the Doctor continued.

Jackson continued to watch, remembering. He looked up and saw a boy standing high above, terror in his eyes.

"It's my son. My son." He whispered before raising his voice. "Doctor, my son!"

The Doctor ran back to him, tearing off his glasses.

"What?" he demanded.

"They took my son." Jackson said, looking up. "No wonder my mind escaped. Those damned Cybermen-they took my child!"

The Doctor stared at him, wide eyed.

"But he's alive, Doctor!" he said, pointing up. "Frederick!"

The Doctor turned to look at the boy.

"Come on!" he called, holding out his hand.

Frederick stared down at them, but didn't move.

"Oh, he's too scared." Jackson cried. "Stay there! Don't move! I'm coming!"

He ran to the stairs, but was thrown back by an explosion.

The Doctor quickly made his way over and helped Jackson up.

"I can't get up there!" Jackson said. "Fr…"

"They've finished with the motor." The Doctor told him. "It's going to blow up!"

"What're we going to do, Doctor?" Jackson demanded. "What are we going to do?"

The Doctor pulled out the cutlass.

"You know me, Jackson." He said, running over to a rope and wrapping it around his arm before swinging the cutlass. "You know me!"

The Doctor sliced the rope and was propelled up to the ledge, landing next to Frederick.

"Oh, that's it." He told the boy, bending down in front of him. "Hello! Now, hold tight, don't let go."

He got the boy on his back and grabbed the rope. He leapt of as the ledge exploded.

The Doctor landed and carried the boy through the smoke to his father's waiting arms.

"Merry Christmas!" he told Jackson.

Jackson stared at Frederick for a moment before hugging him close. Both father and son held each other close in relief.

The Doctor and Jackson, still carrying Frederick, ran through the burning room, but the explosions cut them off from the exit so they quickly made for the sewers.

A/N: One more chapter, and then The Next Doctor is done and I promise Lily and the Doctor will be coming back together soon. If for no other reason than writing them apart sucks. Lol. Let me know what you guys think.

Abbey


	7. The Next Doctor: Finding Self

Disclaimer: Please don't make me say it.

Ch. 7:

The Doctor, Jackson, and Frederick made it back to the cellar and an explosion pushed the Doctor in. He ran past the Dimension Vault, stopped and ran back. He pressed a button and the center rod launched into the air and he grabbed it.

"Come on, Doctor, hurry up!" Jackson yelled.

"Gotcha!" the Doctor said.

They ran out into the street and stared in disbelief.

Before them was a giant Cyberman.

"It's the CyberKing!" the Doctor said.

"And the CyberKing means what?" Jackson asked.

"It's a ship, dreadnought class." The Doctor replied. "Frontline of an invasion. And inside the chest a cyber factory ready to convert millions."

He ran and Jackson followed.

Everywhere people ran screaming.

"It's heading south." The Doctor told Jackson. "Take your son, go to the parkland."

"But where are you going?" Jackson demanded.

"To stop that thing." The Doctor replied.

"But I should be with you!" Jackson said, pleading.

"Jackson, you've got your son!" the Doctor replied. "You've got a reason to live."

"What, and you haven't?" Jackson shot back.

The Doctor stared at him for a minute.

"My reason sent me away." He whispered.

Jackson stared at him.

"God save you, Doctor." He said finally.

The Doctor gave him one last look before running off.

He ran all the way back to the stable, dimension vault in hand. When he arrived, he threw it down and began hauling open cases.

Jed, sitting nearby, jumped to his feet.

"What the hell is that thing, sir?" he demanded.

"Oh, good man, Jed, wasn't it?" the Doctor said, spinning around. "Jed, I need your help!"

"I'm not going out there!" Jed told him.

"I'll give you five pound notes!" the Doctor replied, slinging a belt of infostamps over his shoulder.

"Um, all right, what d'you want me to do?" Jed said, hesitating for only a moment.

"The TARDIS is gonna fly!" the Doctor called.

He grabbed the dimension vault and ran out, Jed following.

The CyberKing had begun firing on London.

The Doctor ran to the balloon, handing the rod to Jed, before throwing in the infostamps and leaping into the basket.

"You're flamin' bonkers, you are, sir!" Jed told him.

"That's been said before, now give me!" the Doctor replied.

Jed handed over the rod and the Doctor shook it, listening.

"Aah, not enough power!" he said. "Come on! Jed, let her loose!"

Jed frantically untied the ropes.

"Ever flown one of these before?" he asked.

"No, never!" the Doctor replied.

"Can I have my money now?" he asked.

"Oh, get on with it!" the Doctor said, fishing in his pocket.

* * *

Jackson ran carrying his son through the crowds and found Rosita.

"What's that?" she asked. "I thought I'd lost ya!"

"My son, Rosita." He told her. "This boy is my son!"

The CyberKing continued to fire and they ran from the explosions, watching as the giant machine strode past them.

* * *

Jed released the last of the ropes and watched as the TARDIS began to rise.

"Good luck to ya, sir!" Jed called, laughing wildly.

Jackson and Rosita saw the TARDIS rising.

"It's the TARDIS!" he called. "She's flying!"

The Doctor threw sandbags and other things out of the basket, trying to get more height.

"Who the hell is that?" someone called.

"His name, sir, is the Doctor!" Jackson called back proudly.

* * *

The Te'kla launched itself and Jack prepared himself for its teeth.

Suddenly, a green light hit it and it fell to the ground, writhing.

They turned to see Lily on the catwalk, holding the green crystal, which was now glittering.

The Te'kla snapped and Lily closed her eyes.

"You will listen to me." She told it.

The Te'kla fought harder.

Lily winced and staggered against the railing.

"This is stupid." Mickey said. "Let's just shoot it while it's distracted."

"No." Jack replied. "Let her try."

Lily straightened.

"I am the master." She whispered.

Her eyes opened and shone gold.

"I am the Phoenix of Gallifrey and you will bend to _my_ will!" she growled at the creature.

The Te'kla growled one last time before laying down peacefully.

The light from the crystal retreated and Lily sighed.

"Bad Bob." She said, scolding the Te'kla. "Very bad Bob!"

Jack threw up his hands and walked into his office, slamming the door as he went.

"What?" Lily asked, looking at the others.

They shook their heads and began picking up.

"What?" she called.

* * *

The Doctor was now level with the CyberKing and he could see Miss Hartigan was controlling it.

"Excellent!" she called. "The Doctor! Yet another man come to assert himself against me in the night."

"Miss Hartigan!" the Doctor yelled to her. "I'm offering you a choice. You might have the most remarkable mind this world has ever seen, strong enough to control the Cybermen themselves…"

"I don't need you to sanction me." She interrupted.

"No, but such a mind deserves to live." He shot back. "The Cybermen came to this world using a dimension vault. I can use that device to fine you a home with no people to convert, but a new world where you can live out your mechanical life in peace."

"I have the world below and it is abundant with so many minds ready to become extensions of me." She told him. "Why would I leave this place?"

"Because, if you don't, I'll have to stop you."

"What do you make of me, sir?" she asked. "An idiot?"

He shook his head.

"No." he told her sadly. "The question is, what do you make of me?"

He aimed the row of infostamps at the CyberKing.

"Destroy him!" Hartigan ordered.

"You make me into this." The Doctor told her.

He activated all the infostamps at once and the blue beams hit the woman flowed over the wires connected to the throne.

Hartigan wore a smug smile and finally the Doctor shut of the stamps.

"Then I have made you a failure." She called to him. "Your weapons are useless, sir."

"I wasn't trying to kill you." He told her, his voice devoid of emotion. "All I did was break the cyber connection, leaving you mind open."

Horror began to appear on her face.

"Open, I think, for the first time in far too many years." He continued. "So you can see."

Her breathing was becoming shallow as she looked around at her surroundings.

"Just look at yourself." He told her. "Look at what you've done. I'm sorry, Miss Hartigan, but look at what you've become."

She began to scream and struggled against the binds holding her to the throne.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor told her.

As her horror began to filter to the Cybermen, they clutched their heads and began to disintegrate until there was nothing left of them or Miss Hartigan.

* * *

"He's killed it!" Jackson shouted. "Whatever he did, he's killed it!"

"But it's going to fall!" Rosita yelled.

People began running and screaming as the machine teetered and explosions appeared all over it.

* * *

An electric buzz brought the Doctor's attention back to the rod.

"Now you're ready!" he said.

He aimed the rod at the CyberKing and activated it. The light of the vortex surrounded the ship as it began to fall and transported the remains away until there was nothing left.

The Doctor shut off the dimension vault and lowered it, sadness etched on his face.

* * *

"I'd say he used that dimension vault to transfer the wreckage of the CyberKing into the time vortex, there to be harmlessly disintegrated." Jackson said, breaking off in surprise. "Oh! I picked up a lot!"

He handed Frederick to Rosita.

"Here!" he said, before leaping onto a lamppost. "Ladies and gentlemen, I know that man. That Doctor on high! And I know that he has done this deed a thousand times! But not once, no sir, not once, not ever has he ever been thanked! But no more! For I say to you on this Christmas morn, bravo, sir! Bravo!"

In a minute, the streets were filled with people clapping and cheering.

The Doctor heard it and looked down in surprise. He gave a smile and waved, ringing the bell of the airborne TARDIS.

"Bravo, Doctor!" Jackson called.

The Doctor looked out over London and the smile faded from his face as he fell back into thought.

* * *

Lily led the Te'kla into the Torchwood Vault and locked it up.

"Do not even think you are getting any diner, Bob." She told it. "You've been a very bad Te'kla."

She shook her finger at it one more time before making her way back up. Since everything was pretty much taken care of, she made her way back outside.

A little while later, Jack found her on a bench, looking up at the stars.

"I passed." She said as he walked up.

"Passed what?" he asked.

"I thought, after the Daleks, that I might start killing and not be able to stop." She said. "I thought I might have lost myself to that act. That's why I sent him away."

She looked up at Jack.

"I knew you were wondering why I chose to come here." She told him. "I knew that if I lost myself, you would stop me. I couldn't ask him to do that."

"You came here because you thought I would kill you?" he demanded.

"I knew if it was a choice between saving the Earth and letting me destroy it, you would make the right choice." She said, shifting her focus back to the stars. "He would chose me and I couldn't risk it."

They sat in silence for awhile.

"I'm the Phoenix." She said suddenly.

"I'm still going to call you Lily." He told her.

"I figured." She replied. "And he'll continue to call me Lily, but the Phoenix is who I am. All the parts of me together. That's my name."

He nodded.

"Are you going to call him?" Jack asked her.

"In a little while." She replied. "I want to make sure I have everything completely in control."

He nodded and held out his hand.

"Come on." He said. "Dinner time. And you're taking care of the monster. No one else wants to go near it."

She sighed and took his hand.

"I love you, Jacky." She told him.

"Love you, too, Lils." He replied.

They walked away, back to Torchwood.

"I need to go shopping." Lily told him.

* * *

The Doctor and Jackson walked through the market square.

"The city will recover, as London always does." Jackson told him. "Though the events of today will be history, spoken of for centuries to come."

"Yeah, funny that…" the Doctor said.

"Well, a new history begins for me." Jackson said. "I find myself a widower, but with my son."

He patted the Doctor on the shoulder before looking at Rosita.

"And with a good friend." He added.

The Doctor looked at Rosita, standing with Fredrick and Jed.

"Now, take care of that one." He told Jackson. "She's marvelous."

"Fredrick will need a nursemaid and I can think of none better." Jackson agreed. "But you're welcome to join us. We thought we might all dine together at the Traveler's Halt. Christmas feast in celebration. And in memory of those we've lost."

The Doctor looked away before looking back.

"You won't stay." Jackson said.

"Nothing to say, you know me." The Doctor replied with a small smile.

They entered the archway where the TARDIS stood.

"No, I don't think anyone does." Jackson said.

"There was one." The Doctor said softly.

Jackson caught sight of the TARDIS.

"Oh!" he said. "And this is it! Ah! Oh, if I might, Doctor. One last adventure!"

"Oh!" the Doctor said, unlocking the door. "Be my guest!"

The door opened and Jackson stood in shock. He touched the Doctor's arm before stepping in.

"Oh!" he breathed. "Oh, my word!"

The Doctor followed him up the ramp as he approached the console.

"Oh. Oh. Goodness me." He said, looking back at the Doctor, who grinned proudly. "Wh-haha…But this is…But this is nonsense!"

"Well, that's one word for it." The Doctor said.

"Complete and utter wonderful nonsense!" Jackson said, laughing.

The Doctor smiled at him.

"Oh. Very, very silly. Oh." He said, reaching out to touch the console, but he drew back. "Oh, no, I can't bear it!"

The Doctor looked at him, concerned.

"Oh, it's causing my head to ache." He said, turning and running down the ramp. "Nope. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."

He ran out of the TARDIS and the Doctor followed, smiling.

"Oh, my gracious!" he laughed. "That's quite enough."

The smile dropped from his face.

"I take it this is goodbye." He said.

"Onwards and upwards." The Doctor said.

"Tell me one thing." Jackson said. "All those facts and figures I saw of the Doctor's life, you were never alone."

All traces of happiness were gone from the Doctor's face.

"All those bright and shining companions." Jackson continued. "But-not anymore?"

"No." the Doctor replied.

"Might I ask why not?" Jackson asked.

"They leave." The Doctor replied, his voice thick. "Because they should, or they find someone else. And some of them…some of them…send me away because they can't bear to be with me any longer."

Jackson frowned.

"In the end…they break my heart." The Doctor said. "I can't bring someone along when all I see is her."

The Doctor closed his eyes, blocking the tears that threatened to fall.

Jackson's face settled into a firm expression.

"That offer of Christmas dinner-it's no longer a request, it's a demand." He told the Doctor.

"In memory of those we've lost." The Doctor said with a slight nod.

Jackson nodded.

"Brr, aw, go on then." The Doctor said finally.

Jackson's face lit up and he laughed.

"Really?" he asked.

"Just this once." The Doctor replied. "You've-you've actually gone and changed my mind. Not many people can do that. Jackson, if anyone had to be the Doctor, I'm glad it was you."

"The feast awaits." Jackson told him. "Come. With me."

The Doctor pulled the TARDIS door shut.

"Walk this way." Jackson said.

"I certainly will!" the Doctor replied.

The two men walked off.

"Merry Christmas to you, Jackson!" the Doctor said.

"Merry Christmas indeed, Doctor!" Jackson replied.

A/N: The Next Doctor is done. Next up: Planet of the Dead. Let me know what you thought!

Abbey


	8. Planet of the Dead: Holes

Disclaimer: My shrink says the Doctor doesn't talk to me in my sleep. How does he know? Or is he listening to my dreams too? …I think my shrink might be stalking me…

Ch. 8:

The Doctor walked down the street. He'd been tracking this anomaly for the better part of the day and he finally thought he had a bead on it. Only problem was, to get to it, he was pretty sure he had to ride the bus. Flying the TARDIS would take too much effort and bring to much attention.

So on to the bus he went.

As he approached the bus he saw a young woman in black get on the bus and hand something to the driver. Her black hair reminded him of Lily.

He quickly shut down that train of thought before getting on the bus.

"Just in time, mate." The driver said.

The Doctor smiled and swiped the psychic paper, looking at the young man, the blonde woman, and the older couple on the bus, before walking back and sitting down next to the woman.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor!" he told her, holding out a gold covered chocolate egg. "Happy Easter!"

He took some chocolate and popped it into his mouth.

"Funny thing is, I don't usually do Easter." He continued. "I can never find it. Always at a different time. Although…I remember the original. Between you and me, what really happened was-"

He was distracted by a beeping noise.

"Oh!" he said. "Sorry, want to hold on to that for me?"

He handed the egg to the woman.

"Actually, go on, have it, finish it." He told her. "It's full of sugar and I'm determined to keep these teeth."

He grinned to show off his teeth and pulled the beeping device out of his pocket.

"Ah!" he said. "Ooh, we've got excitation! I'm picking up something…very strange."

He held it up to his ear.

"I know the feeling." The woman muttered.

She glanced back through the window.

The Doctor pulled out a long antenna.

"Rhodium particles, that's what I'm looking for." He said. "This thing detects them."

He flicked it.

"Look, this should go round." He complained. "The little dish there."

"Right now a way out would come in pretty handy." The woman said. "Can you detect me one of those?"

"Lou, can you hear them?" the woman sitting next to her husband asked.

"Hear what, sweetheart?" he asked.

"The voices." She replied. "So many voices. Calling to us. Calling so far."

"Ah, the little dish is going round!" the Doctor said happily.

"Fascinating." The woman replied, looking over her shoulder.

"And round." The Doctor said anxiously. "Ooh!"

The device began to spark and smoke.

"Excuse me, d'you mind?" the woman in front of him said, touching her hair.

"Sorry, that was my little dish." He told her, motioning to the device that was now making a high pitched squeaking noise.

"Can't you turn that thing off?" the woman next to him asked.

"What was your name?" the Doctor asked.

"Christina." She replied with exaggerated patience.

"Christina, hold on tight!" he told her urgently. "Everyone, hold on!"

The bus suddenly jolted forward and everyone was thrown about.

"The voices, the voices, they're screaming." The older woman cried.

Windows smashed and the lights flared. A young man from the upper level was thrown down the stairs. A brilliant white light flooded the cabin and everyone covered their eyes.

Suddenly they opened their eyes opened to find themselves in bright sunlight.

The Doctor got up and opened the door, Christina following him.

"End of the line." He said, stepping out into a desert. "Call it a hunch, but I think we've gone a little bit further than Brixton."

He looked back at the passengers emerging from the smoking bus. The top level was badly damaged and the wheels were buried in sand.

The Doctor got out his glasses and got down on the ground, picking up a handful of sand and letting flow through his fingers.

"That's impossible." The blonde woman said. "There are three suns! Three of 'em!"

"Like with all those planets that were up in the sky." The young black man said.

"But it was the Earth that moved back then, wasn't it?" the young white man replied.

"Oh, man, we're on another world." The young black man marveled.

"It's dented though." The Bus Driver said, inspecting the bus. "Not as bad as it looks. The chassis's still holding together. My boss is gonna murder me."

"Can you still drive it?" the blonde woman asked.

"Oh, no, no, no." he replied. "The wheels are stuck firm. They're never gonna budge."

Christina pulled out a pair of sunglasses.

"Ready for every emergency." She said.

The Doctor sat up and took off his glasses before pointing the sonic screwdriver at them and turning them dark.

"Me, too." He replied.

"And what's your name?" she asked.

"I'm the Doctor." He replied.

"Name, not rank." She told him.

"The Doctor." He replied.

"Surname." She said.

"The Doctor." He repeated.

"You're called 'the Doctor'?" she asked.

"Yes, I am." He replied.

"That's not a name, that's a psychological condition." She told him.

"Funny sort of sand, this, there's a trace of something else." He said.

He picked some up and tasted it, immediately spitting it out.

"Bleagh, bleagh, bleagh, bleagh, bleagh." He complained. "Blah. Not good."

"Well, it wouldn't be, it's sand." She told him.

"No, it tastes like…" he inhaled sharply and stood up. "Never mind."

"What is it, what's wrong?" Christina asked.

"Hold on a minute," the young black man said, advancing on the Doctor. "I saw you, mate, you had that thing, that machine. Did you make this happen?"

"Oh, humans on buses, always blaming me." The Doctor groaned. "Look, look, if you must know, I was tracking a hold in the fabric of reality. Call it a hobby. But it was tiny hole, no danger to anyone. Only it gets big and we drive right through it."

"Well then, where is it?" the man demanded. "Hey, there's…there's nothing. There's…there's just sand."

"Right." The Doctor said, marching back towards where they came through. "You want proof?" He picked up a handful of sand. "We drove through this."

He flung the sand into the air to reveal a ripple in the sky like water.

"And that's…?" Christina asked.

"A door." The Doctor replied. "A door in space."

"And what you're saying is, on the other side of that is home." The bus driver said. "We can get to London through there?"

"The bus came through, but we can't." the Doctor said, shaking his head.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" the bus driver continued, not paying attention.

"No, no, no, don't." the Doctor told him.

"I'm going home, mate!" the man said, running at the portal.

"I said don't!" the Doctor yelled, running after him.

There was a scream as the man hit the portal, a bright flash of light, and they all ducked back.

The young black man sat down on the ground heavily as the blonde woman was comforted by the young white man.

"The bus." The Doctor said, looking at it. "Look at the damage. It was the bus protecting us. Great big box of metal."

"Rather like a faraday cage." Christina asked.

"Like a thunderstorm, yeah?" the young white man asked. "Safest place is inside a car cause the metal conducts the lightning right through. We did it at school."

"If we could only travel back inside the bus…" Christina mused. "A faraday cage needs to be closed. That thing's been ripped wide open."

"Well, slight interdynamics of the wormhole." The Doctor said. "There's enough metal to make it work I think. I hope."

"Then we have drive five tons of bus, which is currently buried in the sand, and we've got nothing but our bare hands, correct?" Christina surmised.

"I'd say nine and a half tons." The Doctor corrected. "But the point still stands, yep."

"Then we need to apply ourselves to the problem with discipline." She said briskly. "Which starts with appointing a leader."

"Yes." The Doctor agreed. "At last. Thank you, so…"

"Well, thank goodness you've got me." She continued. "Everyone do exactly as I say. Inside the bus immediately."

The Doctor frowned.

"Is it safe in there?" the young white man asked.

"I don't think anything's safe anymore." She replied cooly. "But if it's a choice between baking in there or roasting out here, I'd say baking's slower. Come on, all of you, right now."

The young man and the blonde woman got into the bus.

"And you, The Doctor." She said.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied with a nodded.

"Up!" she said to the young man still sitting on the ground. "Come on!"

He grudgingly did so, kicking sand as he went.

* * *

"…Point 5." Christina was saying. "The crucial think is do not panic. Quite apart from everything else, the smell of sweat inside this thing is reaching atrocious levels. We don't need to add any more. Point 6. Team identification. Names. I'm Christina. This man is apparently the Doctor."

"Hello." He said, his feet up on the seat in front of him.

"And you?" she asked, looking at the young white man.

"Nathan." He replied with a little wave.

"I'm Barclay." The young black man said.

"Angela." The blonde woman said. "Angela Whittaker."

"My name's Louis." The older man said. "Everyone calls me Lou. And this Carmen."

He motioned to his wife.

"Excellent." Christina said. "Memorize those names. There might be a test. Point 7. Assessment and application of knowledge. Over to you, the Doctor."

"I thought you were in charge!" he replied, looking up, startled.

"I am." She replied smugly. "And a goold leader utilizes her strength. You seem to be the brainbox. So. Start boxing."

"Right." He said, swinging his legs down and standing up. "So. The wormhole. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just an accident."

"No." Carmen spoke up. "It…it…it…wasn't. That thing. The doorway. Someone made it. For a reason."

"How do you know?" the Doctor asked.

She looked embarrassed and her husband took over.

"She's got a gift." He told the Doctor. "Ever since she was a little girl, she can just tell things. We do the lottery twice a week."

"You don't look like millionaires." Christina said dismissively.

"No." he agreed. "But we win ten pounds. Every week, twice a week, ten pounds. Don't tell me that's not a gift."

Christina looked slightly abashed.

"Tell me, Carmen, how many fingers am I holding up?" the Doctor asked, holding his hand behind his back.

"Three." She replied certainly.

He released a finger.

"Four." She said.

"Very good." He said, smiling. "Psychic ability exacerbated by an alien sun. What did you see, Carmen? Tell me what's out there."

"Something." She replied. "Something is coming. Riding on the wind. And shining."

"What is it?" the Doctor pushed.

"Death." She said. "Death is coming."

"We're gonna die!" Angela said, starting to cry.

"Oh, I knew it, man." Barclay said, beginning to panic. "I said so!"

"We can't die here." Nathan protested. "No one's gonna know."

"This isn't exactly healthy." Christina said.

"Shut up." Barclay snapped. "We're not gonna…"

"It's not doing any good." Christina pointed out.

"All right, now stop it!" the Doctor ordered. "Everyone stop it!"

Angela was sobbing and he grabbed her shoulders, making her look at him.

"Angela-look at me." He told her. "Angela. Angela? Answer me one question, Angela. That's it. At me. At me. There we go. Angela, just answer me one thing. When you got on this bus, where were you going?"

"Doesn't matter now, doesn't it?" she replied.

"Answer the question." He told her.

"Just home." She said.

"What's 'home'?" he asked.

"Me…and Mike…and Suzanne, that's my daughter." She answered. "She's eighteen."

"Suzanne." The Doctor said, smiling. "Good."

He sat back in his chair and looked at Barclay.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Dunno." Barclay replied. "Going round Tina's."

"Tina?" the Doctor asked. "Your girlfriend?"

"Not yet." He replied with a half smile.

"Good boy!" the Doctor said with a cheeky grin. "What about you, Nathan?"

"Bit strapped for cash." The man replied. "Lost my job last week. Was gonna stay in, watch TV."

"Brilliant!" the Doctor said cheerfully. "And you two?"

"I was gonna cook." Lou answered.

"It's his turn tonight." Carmen added. "Then I clear up."

"What's for tea?" the Doctor asked.

"Chops." Lou replied. "Nice couple of chops and gravy. Nothing special."

"Oh, that's special." The Doctor disagreed. "That is so special. Chops and gravy. Mm. What about you, Christina?"

"I was going…so far away." She replied.

"Far away, chops and gravy, watching TV, Mike and Suzanne, and poor old Tina." The Doctor summed up.

"Hey!" Barclay protested with a faint grin.

"Think of them." The Doctor told them. "'Cause the planet out there, with three suns, a wormhole, and alien sand…that planet is nothing. You hear me? Nothing! Compared to all those things waiting for you-food, home, people. Hold on to that. 'Cause we're going to get there. I promise. I'm going to get you home."

* * *

"Here you go!" Barclay said, bringing out the backs of some of the chairs.

"That's my boys!" the Doctor said. "See, we'll lay a flat surface between the bus and the wormhole. Like duckboards, we'll reverse into it."

"Let some air out of the tires." Christina said. "Just a little bit. Spread the weight of the bus. Gives you more grip against the sand."

"Oh, that's good." The Doctor said.

"Holidays in the Kalahari." She replied.

"Yeah, but those wheels go deep." Barclay pointed out.

"Then start digging." She replied.

"With what?" he asked sarcastically.

"With this." She said, reaching into her pack.

She pulled out a shovel with a folded handle and handed it to the Doctor. He unfolded it with an intrigued look and handed it to Barclay.

"Got anything else in there?" the Doctor asked, pointing at the pack.

"Try that." She said, pulling out a hatchet and handing it to Nathan. "Might help with the seats."

"Thanks." He replied.

"I can't find the keys!" Angela called.

"Oh, buses don't have keys." The Doctor said, running to the door. "There's a master switch. Then there's one button to start, the other one to stop, yeah?"

"Right, hold on." She said. "Oh, I got it! Here we go, hold tight! Ding, ding!"

She stamped on the accelerator and pressed a button. The bus rumbled for a moment before dying.

"Oh, that doesn't sound too good." The Doctor said.

He and Christina made their way to the engine, which was smoking.

"Never mind losing half the top deck, you know what's worse?" the Doctor asked. "Sand! Tiny little grains of sand. They engine's clogged up."

"Anyone know mechanics?" Christina called.

"Me." Barclay replied. "Uh, I did two wee MVQ at a garage. Never finished it, but…"

"Off you go then!" the Doctor said. "Try stripping the air filter as much as you can. Back in two ticks."

He started to walk off.

"Wait a minute." Christina called, running after him. "You're the man with all the answers. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

They made their way across the sand.

"Be easier if you left that backpack behind." The Doctor said.

"Where I go, it goes." She replied.

"Backpack with a spade and an axe." The Doctor said. "Christina is going so far away and yet scared by the sound of a siren. Who are you?"

"You can talk!" she shot back. "Let's just say we're two equal mysteries."

"We make quite a couple." The Doctor said.

"We don't make any sort of couple, thank you very much." She told him. "Come on then-tell me. If Carmen's right and that wormhole's not an accident then what is it? Has someone done this on purpose?"

"I don't know." The Doctor replied. "But every single instinct of mine is telling me to get off this planet right now."

"D'you think we can?" she asked.

"I live in hope." He replied.

"That must be nice." She said.

He eyed her from head to foot.

"It's Christina de Souza." She said, holding out a hand. "To be precise, Lady Christina de Souza."

The Doctor shook her hand.

"Ooh, that's handy." The Doctor said. "And I'm a Lord."

"Seriously?" she asked. "A lord of where?"

"Quite a big estate." He replied.

"No, but there's something more about you." She said, looking at him closely. "That device you were carrying, and the wormhole, like you knew. And the way you stride around this place like…"

"…like?" the Doctor asked.

"Like you're not quite…" she trailed off.

"Anyway, come on!" the Doctor said after a pause. "Allons-y!"

"Oui, mais pas si nous allons vers un cauchemar." Christina replied.

"Oh, we were made for each other!" the Doctor exclaimed.

They walked up to the crest of a dune and looked out over sand as far as they could see.

"Oh, don't like the look of that." The Doctor said, pointing to the clouds in the distance.

"Stormclouds." Christina said. "Must be hundreds of miles away."

"And getting closer." The Doctor added.

"If that's a sandstorm, we'll get ripped to shreds." Christina said.

"It's a storm." The Doctor agreed. "Who says it's sand?"

They took off running back towards the bus.

* * *

"Where is it?" the Doctor yelled, bursting back onto the bus.

"There-there on the seat!" Barclay replied.

The Doctor snatched up the phone and used the sonic screwdriver on it.

"You're hardly going to get a signal." Christina told him. "We're on another planet."

"Just watch me!" he replied, putting the screwdriver away. "Right, now, bit of hush, thank you. Gotta remember the number. Very important number."

He dialed the phone.

"Hello, Pizza Geronimo."

"How'd I get into that?" he asked. "7-6 not 6-7."

He redialed.

"This is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce." A computer voice said. "Please select one of the following four options: If you want…"

"Oh, I hate these things!" the Doctor complained.

"If you keep your finger pressed on zero, you get through to a real person." Angela told him. "I saw that on Watchdog."

He did as she said.

"Thank you Angela!" he told her as he sat down.

"UNIT helpline, which department would you like?" a voice asked.

"Listen, this is the Doctor." He said. "It's me."

There was a pause as he was put on hold.

"Oh come on." He moaned.

Suddenly it came back.

"Doctor." A woman said. "This is Captain Erisa Magambo. Might I say, sir, it's an honor?"

"Did you just salute?" he asked.

There was a pause.

"No." she replied.

"Erisa, it's about the bus." He said, letting it go. "HQ said you were at the tunnel, yeah?"

"And where are you?" she asked.

"I'm on the bus, but apart from that, not so clear." The Doctor told her. "Except it's very pretty and pretty dangerous."

"A body came through here." Erisa said. "Have sustained any more fatalities?"

"No, and we're not going to, but I'm stuck." He told her. "I haven't got the TARDIS and I need to analyze that wormhole."

"Give me the phone." Came another voice.

The others watched as the Doctor winced.

There was a sound as the phone was passed over and the Doctor rubbed his face.

"Hello, dear." Came a new voice with a hint of a southern drawl. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?"

A/N: Planet of the Dead is a go. Let me know what you guys think.

Abbey


	9. Planet of the Dead: Death in Converse

Disclaimer: I'm with Amy. Next person who tries to tell me that the Doctor isn't real is getting bit.

Ch. 9:

The others watched as the Doctor stood outside the bus and paced.

"What's going on?" Christina demanded.

"Remember Carmen saying Death was coming?" he asked. "Well, she's not coming for you. She coming for me in the form of a pissed off blonde."

They all turned and looked at the portal ripple. The Doctor gulped and watched. There was a bright flash and a woman appeared.

The Doctor stared.

The woman had blonde hair with black tips that brushed her shoulders. She was wearing a white, short sleeve dress shirt with a black and white striped tie and a black vest, and lose jeans. He smiled when he saw the black converse she was wearing.

His eyes moved back to her face, pausing briefly at the chain of the Firepoint around her neck and running under her shirt, and he watched as she took her earphones out of her ears.

"You owe me another MP3 player." She called. "Your wormhole fried it."

"Well it should've fried you, so I'll take the trade and buy you a new one." He called back. "Hello, Lily."

"Hello, Doctor." She replied.

They stood there looking at each other.

"You know how much UNIT dislikes Torchwood?" Lily called. "Well, they dislike me even more now. Who knew they didn't like it when you strolled through wormholes?"

"How have you been?" he asked her, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Fine." She said, taking a step forward. "But that reminds me. We need to take Bob home after we're done here."

"Who's Bob?" he asked, taking a step forward.

"A Te'kla that was running amok in Cardiff." She replied.

"And you named it Bob." He said, shaking his head. "A life force eating monster, and you name it Bob."

"Why does everyone find that so strange?" she demanded.

There was another silence.

"You were on Earth." Lily said, taking another step forward. "You were on Earth and you didn't call."

"It wasn't my job to call." He said, also taking another step. "You sent me away."

"I know." She said softly. "But it wasn't because of you. I knew Jack would do what needed to be done if I lost control."

The Doctor stared at her.

"You went to Jack because you knew he'd kill you?" he demanded.

"I knew you wouldn't." she replied. "I couldn't take the risk that I would turn into my brother. I had to be sure I had complete control before I traveled with you again."

She took another step forward. There was only a foot or two between them now.

"So are you done…doing whatever you needed to do?" the Doctor asked her.

Lily smiled and held out her hand.

"Find out for yourself." She said.

He reached out and took her hand and immediately felt the bond settle into place.

He smiled and pulled her to him, wrapping his free arm around her waist as he bet down to kiss her. He felt her smile as she returned the kiss, wrapping her arm around his neck.

"Ahem." Someone said after a minute.

Lily pulled away and smiled up at him.

"Hi." She whispered.

"Hi." He replied, smiling down at her. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." She told him.

She swallowed.

"You tasted the sand, didn't you?" she asked, gagging slightly.

He grinned.

"Of course you did." She muttered.

They pulled away, but he didn't let go of her hand.

"I'm never letting you get on a bus again." Lily said, looking at the wreck.

"You missed it." The Doctor said, leading her over. "They tried to blame me."

"Humans on buses." She said. "They're always trying to blame you."

"I know!" he said, making her smile.

Everyone was watching them strangely.

"Who is she?" Christina demanded.

Lily glared at her.

"This is-"

"The Phoenix." Lily interrupted.

"The Phoenix?" he asked.

"You missed it." She told him. "It just fits better."

"I'm still calling you Lily." He told her.

She grinned.

"Jack owes me a hundred bucks." She said happily. "I told him you would refuse to call me anything but Lily."

He shook her head.

"That's Angela." He said, pointing. "And Barclay, Nathan, Lou, and Carmen. She's psychic."

"Cool." Lily said, smiling.

He pointed to the last person.

"And that is Lady Christina de Souza." He told her.

"That's nice." Lily said. "I'm a Lady too."

"I didn't know they gave titles to American's." Christina said sarcastically. "Where's your land?"

"Time." Lily replied simply before turning to the Doctor. "You know that wormhole's not natural, right? Someone made it."

"How can you tell?" he asked.

"That thing tried to strip my barrier." She whined. "It eats anything that comes through it. It stung."

"It killed the last person who tried to go through." The Doctor told her.

"I know." She said seriously. "I saw the body. I made them show it to me so I would know what I was dealing with."

"Why didn't you just come in the TARDIS?" he asked.

Lily scowled.

"She's not talking to me." She told him. "Something about hurting you. She refused to tell me where she was."

The Doctor chuckled.

"How did she get here?" Christina interrupted. "I thought you had to be protected to go through that thing."

Lily smiled and a gold bubble erupted from her, covering the Doctor, but pushing everyone else away.

"Lily…" the Doctor said patiently.

The shield faded.

"That's how I got through." Lily said simply. "Didn't protect my MP3 player, though."

"What are you?" Christina asked, staring at Lily.

"Special." Lily replied smugly.

The Doctor shook his head.

_Play nice._ He told her.

Lily huffed, but backed down.

"Without the TARDIS, we still need a way to analyze that wormhole." The Doctor said.

"There's some science person back in London, ready and willing to help." Lily told him. "Strange little man. Big fan of yours. When he found out I was your mate, he wouldn't stop shaking my hand."

"Did he seem to know what he was doing?" he asked.

Lily shrugged.

"I was more worried about getting to you, I didn't really perform a review." She replied. "He seemed relatively intelligent. Lots of flashing doohickeys."

The Doctor sighed and pulled out the phone. Lily suddenly dug around in her pocket for her phone.

"Oh, come on." She whined. "Why did it have to fry the phone?"

"Here." The Doctor said, tossing her the sonic screwdriver.

"Thanks." She said.

Neither one seemed to notice that the rest of the people were still staring at them.

"Come on." He said, taking her hand and pulling her into the bus.

"Oh goody." Lily said sarcastically. "I can bake instead of roasting."

The others followed them in as Lily plopped down on a seat and swung her feet up onto the back of the seat in front of her. She looked thoughtful for a moment before there was a flash of gold and the temperature dropped slightly.

"What did you do?" Barclay asked, sounding slightly scared.

"Created a bubble that's reflecting a percentage of the sunlight." She replied, focusing on the phone. "Should help with the heat slightly."

The Doctor sat down in the seat behind her and dialed the phone.

"Erisa?" he called when the phone picked up.

"I take it the Phoenix made it through." She said.

"Hi, Erisa!" Lily called as she took the back off her phone.

"She's fine." The Doctor said. "She tells me that you have someone who can help me analyze the wormhole?"

"We have a scientific advisor on site-Dr. Malcolm Taylor." Erisa replied. "Just the man you need. He's a genius."

"Oh, is he?" the Doctor said skeptically. "We'll see about that."

There was a pause.

"It's the Doctor." He heard Erisa say.

"No, I'm all right now, thanks." Someone, presumably Malcolm, answered. "It was just a little bit of a sore throat. Although, I've got to be honest, a cup of tea might be nice."

"It's _the _Doctor." Erisa told him, sounding frustrated.

There was another pause.

"D'you mean…the Doctor doctor?" the man asked in a hushed voice.

The Doctor rubbed his eye awkwardly as Lily chuckled.

"I know." Erisa said. "We all want to meet him one day. But we all know what that day will bring."

"I can hear everything you're saying." The Doctor said drily.

"Oh, uh, hello Doctor?" Malcolm called. "Oh, my goodness."

"Yes, I am." The Doctor said, sounding slightly annoyed. "Hello, Malcolm."

"The Doctor!" the man called, laughing. "Corblimey! I can't believe I'm actually speaking to you! I mean, I've read all the files!"

"Oh, really?" the Doctor asked, starting to smile. "What was your favorite? Giant robot?"

Lily reached over and smacked him upside the head.

"No, no, let's sort out that wormhole." The Doctor said, rubbing his head. "Excuse me."

"On speakerphone, please." Erisa called. "I don't want anyone keeping secrets."

"Humans." Lily muttered.

The Doctor got up and moved to the driver's seat.

"Malcolm, something's not making sense here." The Doctor said. "I've got a storm and a wormhole and I can't help thinking there's a connection. I need a complete full range analysis of that wormhole. The whole thing."

"Well, I've probably got the wrong idea, but I've wired up an integrator." Malcolm said. "I thought it could measure the energy signature."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no." the Doctor said. "That'll never work."

"It's quite extraordinary, though." Malcolm said. "I'm measuring an oscillation of 15 malcolms per second."

"15 what?" the Doctor asked.

"15 malcolms." The man replied. "It's my own little term. A wavelength parcel at 10 kilohertz operating in four dimensions equals one malcolm."

"You named a unit of measurement after yourself?" the Doctor asked slowly.

"I told you he was a strange little man." Lily called.

"Is that the Phoenix?" Malcolm asked. "She is quite lovely."

"Yes, she is, but could we stay focused?" the Doctor sighed.

"Yes, well, it didn't do Mr. Watt any harm." Malcolm defended himself. "Furthermore, 100 malcolms equals a bernard."

"And who's that, your Dad?" the Doctor asked sarcastically.

"Don't be ridiculous." Malcolm told him. "That's Quartermass."

"Right." The Doctor said, faintly. "Fine. But before I die of old age, which in my case would be quite an achievement, so congratulation on that, is there anyone else I can talk to?"

"No, no, no, no, but listen." Malcolm said quickly. "I set the scanner to register what it can't detect and inverted the image."

"You did what?" the Doctor demanded, shocked.

"Is that wrong?" the man asked nervously.

"No, Malcolm, that's brilliant!" the Doctor told him. "So you can actually measure the wormhole? Okay, I agree, that is genius!"

"The Doctor called me a genius." Malcolm marveled faintly.

"I know, I heard." Erisa said briskly.

"Now, run a capacity scanner." The Doctor ordered. "I need a full report and call me back when you've done it. And…Malcolm-you're my new best friend."

"And you're mine, too, sir!" Malcolm called back.

* * *

While the Doctor was on the phone, Christina sat down next to Lily.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I'm the Phoenix." Lily replied, not turning away from her phone.

"How did you walk through that wormhole?" she pushed.

"I showed you." Lily sighed.

"Who are you?" Christina asked again.

Lily sighed and looked at the other woman.

"What do you really want to know?" she asked. "Who I am to him?"

Christina didn't answer and Lily smirked.

"I know I was late to the party, but you can get any thoughts you have of you and him out of your head." Lily told her. "He's my mate."

"He said we made quite a couple." Christina said primly. "Besides you're his mate. Since when does being his friend give you the right to dictate his life?"

Lily chuckled.

"Hon, let me put it this way." She said. She lifted the Firepoint from underneath her shirt. "You see this? This is equivalent to a wedding ring. He gave it to me. Understand?"

Christina nodded.

"Good." Lily said, standing up. "Now if you don't mind, he's on the move and I don't plan on letting him out of my sight."

She pushed past Christina and followed the Doctor out. After a second, Christina followed them.

"Barclay, I'm holding on to this!" the Doctor called as Lily took his hand.

"Hey, then you'd better bring it back!" the young man replied.

_You're not playing nice._ He told his mate.

_What can I say?_ Lily said, shrugging. _This regeneration is more territorial._

_Well, we may need her, so try to be nicer._ He told her.

She hesitated, but finally nodded.

Christina approached and the three took off across the sand.

A/N: Second chapter is done. This regeneration of Lily's has a tendency to be slightly more childish then the previous version. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	10. Planet of the Dead: Flies over the Sand

Disclaimer: I love the Doctor. That's enough for me.

Ch. 10:

The Doctor, Lily, and Christina walked over the dunes. When they reached a crest, they saw the storm. The Doctor took out the phone and snapped a picture.

"Send this back to Earth and see if Malcolm can analyze the storm." He said.

Lily took a couple steps forward.

"Lily?" he called.

"It's not a storm." She said, looking back at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"There's something in it." She said, looking back. "Something shining."

"Like metal." He said, looking at the storm.

"Why would there be metal in a storm?" Christina asked.

They stood there watching the storm.

"Do you hear something?" Christina asked.

"Hold on." The Doctor replied. "Busy."

"There's a noise." She continued. "Like a sort of…"

She suddenly turned back.

"Doctor!" she called. "There's something new!"

The Doctor and Lily spun around to find themselves at gunpoint. The 'something new', a humanoid bug, who was holding the gun made a clicking noise and the Doctor made the same sort of noises in return.

"It's waiting." The Doctor said.

"I shall wait." Lily translated. "People usually wait."

"You speak the language?" Christina asked.

"Every language." The Doctor answered.

Lily said something to the bug, and the bug replied.

"Begging for mercy." The Doctor translated.

The bug waved its gun.

"It means move." Christina said.

"Ooh, you're learning!" the Doctor said.

"That's pretty much universal, love." Lily said as they walked off.

The trio walked uneasily ahead the bug across the sand.

"These fly things…" Christina said. "They must be responsible. They brought us here."

"No, no, no, no, no." the Doctor said. "Look at the ship. It's a wreck. They crashed just like us."

The bug led them inside.

"Ugh!" Christina complained. "But this place is freezing!"

"Mm, the hull's made of therpotreen steel." The Doctor replied. "So it's cold when it's hot. Boiling desert outside, freezing ship inside. There's something about you, Christina, you've been through all the extremes."

"That's how I like things-extreme." Christina replied.

Lily snorted.

"Oh, this is beautiful!" the Doctor marveled as they entered another chamber. "Intact, it must have been magnificent! A proper, streamlined, deep-spacer."

"I'll remember that as I'm being slowly tortured." Christina replied. "At least I'm bleeding on the floor of a really well-designed spaceship."

"Better than a poorly designed one." Lily shot back. "Never know what the waste disposal systems are like on them. At least here you probably won't be lying in your own blood."

Another bug joined them, both aiming their guns at the trio. One pressed a button on their uniform and a purple light came on.

"All right, good, yes." The Doctor said. "Hello. That's their telepathic translator. He can understand us."

The bug made some clicking noises.

"Still sounds like gibberish to me." Christina said.

"He can understand us, not the other way around." Lily told her. "Please try to keep up."

"Lily." The Doctor rebuked.

She took a deep breath.

"Sorry." She said finally. "I'll try harder."

"Thank you." The Doctor replied.

The bug began clicking again.

"You will suffer for your crimes." The Doctor translated. "Et cetera. You have committed an act of violence against the Tritovore race. Tritovores, they're called! Tritovores. You came here in the 200 to destroy us. Sorry, wh-what's the 200?"

"It's the bus." Christina answered. "Number 200. They mean the bus."

"Oh!" the Doctor said. "No, no, I think you're making the same mistake Christina did. I'm the Doctor, by the way, and this is my mate, The Phoenix."

She waved.

"And this is the Honorable Lady Christina." The Doctor introduced her. "At least I hope she's honorable. We got pulled through that wormhole. The 200 doesn't look like that normally. It's broken, just the same as you."

The Tritovores discussed this for a moment before lowering their guns.

"What are they doing?" Christina asked.

The Doctor covered Lily's mouth.

_We're back to this?_ She asked.

_If that's what it takes, yes._

She huffed but stayed put.

"They believe me." The Doctor told Christina.

"What, simple as that?" Christina asked.

"I've got a very honest face." He replied.

"Why are you covering her mouth?" she asked.

"Sometimes Lily's mouth says things before her brain vets them." The Doctor explained. "I'm just helping her brain catch up."

Christina stared at them.

"Are you going to say mean things?" he asked Lily.

She shook her head and he removed his hand.

"Right, so, first things first!" he said, bounding away to the controls. "There's a very strange storm heading our way. Can you send out a probe?"

The Tritovore said something.

"Ooh, they've lost power." The Doctor translated. "The crash knocked the mainline crystal out of sync. But…if we could get it back…"

He gave the console a kick and Lily buried her face in her hand.

The machinery flared to life.

"Why, thank you!" the Doctor said, grinning proudly.

The Tritovore said something.

"Yes, I am!" the Doctor said. "Frequently!"

"Okay, I'm issuing a universe wide decree." Lily announced. "No one is allowed to compliment you. I spend too much time trying to deflate your ego, and these bozos keep undoing all my hard work!"

"Okey-dokey!" The Doctor said, ignoring her. "Let's launch that probe!"

The screen flared to life showing a cloud of color and light.

"The Scorpion Nebula." Lily marveled. "We're on the other side of the universe!"

"Just what you wanted." The Doctor told Christina. "So far away."

It focused to show a planet.

"Planet of San Helios." The Doctor identified.

"And that's us." Christina said. "We're on another world!"

"We have been for quite a while!" The Doctor told her.

"I know, but seeing it like that…" she said.

"I know." The Doctor said, grinning. "It's good, isn't it?"

Lily lightly slapped him upside the head.

"Fix the problem." She said, leaning down to speak in his ear, grinning. "Don't take credit."

The Tritovores said something.

"The Tritovores were going to trade with San Helios." The Doctor explained. "Population of 100 billion. Plenty of waste matter for them to absorb."

"By waste matter, you mean…" Christina asked.

"They're flies." Lily explained. "What do you think it means?"

"Charming." Christina said. "Just remind me to never kiss them."

"Were you planning on it?" Lily asked, grinning.

A new image of a city appeared on the screen and the Tritovores spoke.

"San Helios city." Lily said slowly.

"That's amazing." Christina said. "But…you've seen this sort of thing before, haven't you?"

"Thousands of times." The Doctor answered.

"That lordship of yours." She said. "Lord of where exactly?"

"Lily told you." He answered. "Time. We come from a race of people called the Time Lords."

"You're aliens?" she asked.

"Yeah." The Doctor replied. "But you don't have to kiss me either."

"No, that's my job." Lily said, pressing a kiss to his neck, making him grin.

"You look human." Christina told them.

"You look Time Lord." The Doctor shot back. "Anyway…"

"So, if that's San Helios, all we need to do is find that city." She said. "They can help us."

"I don't think it's that simple." Lily said, looking at the Tritovores.

The Tritovores spoke and the screen changed to the sand dunes.

"We're in the city now." The Doctor said.

"But it's sand!" Christina protested. "That first image, the temples and things, what's that then? Ancient history?"

The Doctor looked at the Tritovores as they spoke before turning back to the screen.

"The image was taken last year." He told her.

"It became a desert…in one year?" she said in horror.

Lily picked up a handful of sand and let it flow through her fingers.

"I said there was something in the sand." The Doctor said. "The city, the oceans, the mountains, the wildlife, and a hundred billion people turned to sand. All those voices in Carmen's head. She's hearing them die."

"But I've got sand in my hair." Christina said, disbelieving. "That's dead people! Ugh, that's disgusting! Ugh!"

"Something destroyed the whole of San Helios." The Doctor said, not paying attention to her.

"Yes, but in my hair!" Christina complained.

"And they're dead!" Lily shot back. "So shut up about your damn hair."

"Lily…" the Doctor sighed.

"What, did you really expect me to let that one pass?" she demanded. "A whole world's dead and she's going on about her hair!"

The phone rang, thankfully saving him from answering.

"Malcolm, tell me the bad news." He sighed.

"Oh, you are clever." Malcolm gushed. "It is bad news! It's the wormhole, Doctor, it's getting bigger! We've gone way past 100 bernards. I haven't invented a name for that!"

"How can it get bigger by itself?" Lily asked.

"Hello, Miss Phoenix!" Malcolm called.

"Focus, Malcolm." Lily told him, sighing. "Answer the question."

_You've got an admirer!_ The Doctor chuckled.

_Shut up._ Lily replied, shoving his shoulder.

"Well, that's why I'm phoning." Malcolm replied. "You'll work it out if I know you, sir."

"Doctor, we estimate the circumference of your invisible wormhole is now four miles heading upward." Erisa told them. "I've grounded all flights above London. We can't risk anyone else falling through."

"Ah, good work, both of you." The Doctor told them.

"But I have to know-" Erisa continued. "Does that wormhole constitute a danger to this planet?"

The phone beeped.

"Ooh, sorry, call waiting." He said. "Gotta go."

Without waiting for a response, he flipped over.

"Yeah?" he called.

"Doctor, it's Nathan." The man called. "We've got those dumbolt things down, but…"

"It's my fault." They heard Angela say tearfully.

"No, it's not." Nathan told her. "Don't say that!"

"Why, what's happened?" the Doctor asked.

"We kept on turning the engine, but…we're out of petrol." Nathan told him. "Used it all up. Even if we can get those wheels out, this bus…is never gonna move."

The Doctor let the phone drop from his ear.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Christina demanded. "Doctor, tell me!"

"You promised you'd get us home." Nathan said. "Doctor, are you still there?"

"Doctor, tell me, what did he say?" Christina repeated.

An alarm sounded and the Doctor looked around as one of the Tritovores leapt for the screen.

"It's the probe." The Doctor said. "It's reached the storm."

The Tritovore kept clicking.

"And what's he saying?" Christina asked.

"I was right." Lily said grimly. "It's not a storm."

The screen now showed millions of robotic stingrays flying in mass.

"It's a swarm!" Christina exclaimed. "Millions of them."

"Billions." The Doctor corrected.

One aimed at the probe and the feed died.

"Oh, we've lost the probe." The Doctor confirmed. "It got eaten. Everything on this planet gets eaten!"

"How far away is that swarm?" Christina asked.

"A hundred miles, but at that speed it'll be here in 20 minutes." The Doctor answered.

The Tritovore began clicking away again.

"No, no, no, they're not just coming for us." Lily answered. "We're just the appetizers. What they want is the wormhole."

"They're heading for Earth?" Christina asked.

"Show me the analysis." The Doctor ordered, waving his hand.

He peered at the image of the stingray.

"Incredible." He marveled. "They swarm out of the wormhole, strip the planet bare and then move on to the next world. Start the lifecycle all over again."

"I wish you would stop finding beauty in things that want to kill us." Lily told him.

"Says the woman who named a life force eating monster Bob." The Doctor shot back.

"Hey, he hasn't killed anyone!" Lily said. "Recently."

"So, they make the wormholes?" Christina asked.

"They must do." The Doctor answered.

"But how?" she asked. "They don't exactly look like technicians. And if the wormhole belongs to them, why are they 100 miles away?"

"'Cause they need to be?" the Doctor answered. "No, that's bonkers. Hang on. Yes! Oh! You see, billions of them flying in formation all the way round the planet. Round and round and round. Faster and faster and faster until they generate a rupture in space! The speed of them and the numbers and the size…all that rips the wormhole into existence."

"And the wormhole's getting bigger?" Christina asked.

"Because they're getting closer." Lily confirmed.

"But how'd they get through?" Christina asked. "'Cause that wormhole's a killer. We've seen it. Unless they're like Lily here."

"Phoenix. And no one is like me." Lily shot back. "They're like the bus."

"See the exoskeleton?" the Doctor asked.

"Metal?" Christian replied.

"They've got bones of metal." The Doctor told her. "They eat metal to extrude it into the exoskeleton. So the velocity makes the wormhole and then their body makes it safe. A perfect design."

"You're finding beauty in things that want to kill us again." Lily told him.

"Those things are going to turn the entire Earth into a desert?" Christina demanded. "So why are you two smiling?"

"The worse it gets, the more I love it." The Doctor said.

"Me too." Lily told her.

The Doctor grinned and dashed off.

A/N: Third chapter done. Let me know what you thought.


	11. Planet of the Dead: Thieves and Idiots

Disclaimer: Can I just have his coat?

Ch. 11:

The Doctor led them out of the room when, suddenly, Lily stopped.

"What is it?" he asked.

She ignored him and turned to Tritovores, asking them something.

"What is she saying?" Christina asked.

"She's asking why they crashed." The Doctor replied, turning to Lily. "Oh, I have missed you. Like she said, why did you crash?"

The Tritovores led them to a huge hole that led down to something glowing gold.

"Nice." Lily said, looking down.

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor agreed. "Gravity room. Look. Goes all the way down to the engine. So what happened?"

The Tritovores replied.

"He says the drive system stalled." The Doctor translated. "Ten miles up they fell out of the sky. But what caused that?"

The Tritovore shrugged.

"Which means no idea." Christina said.

"Yeah." The Doctor agreed. "But wait a minute. That's a crystal nucleus down there, yes? Looks like it survived the crash and the crystal's intact. Ooh, yes! That's better than diesel!"

"What, you can use a crystal to move the bus?" Christina asked.

"I think so!" the Doctor said.

"Well, this place is a bust anyway." Lily agreed, looking around. "The bus should be small enough for the crystal to handle."

"How does a crystal drive a bus?" Christina asked.

"In a…super clever…outerspacey way." The Doctor said.

"Very intelligent sounding." Lily told him, chuckling.

"Just…trust me." The Doctor sighed.

Lily smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I always do." She told him.

"This regeneration's very affectionate, isn't it?" The Doctor said, smiling at her.

She shrugged.

"Apparently." She replied, grinning. "Is that a problem?"

"No in the slightest." He replied. "Anyway, there's the crystal, it's fallen into the bottom of the well! Have you got access shafts?"

He listened to the Tritovore.

"All frozen…well maybe I can open them." The Doctor said.

Lily took a step towards the hole and he grabbed the back of her shirt.

"Don't even think about it." He told her.

"But if I just…"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

She huffed and crossed her arms.

"If you miscalculate even the slightest bit, you'll smash into the bottom." He told her sternly.

"So I won't miscalculate." She shot back.

"No." he told her. "I will open the access shafts and we will go that way."

Lily glared at him.

"Promise." He ordered.

She ground her teeth.

"Lily."

"Fine." She growled. "I promise."

"Thank you." He said, kissing her forehead.

He looked around and grabbed two earpieces.

"Internal comms." He said, handing one to Christina. "Put that on! You two stay here. Keep an eye on the shaft. Tell me if anything happens."

The Doctor turned and walked out with the Tritovores.

"Too bad their weren't three earpieces." Christina said blandly.

"You're really not used to getting what you want, are you?" Lily asked, amused. "Besides I don't need an earpiece, do I Doctor?"

"Please play nice." He called back over the comms.

Lily strode away.

"Hey, I haven't killed her yet." She said. "That's got to count for something."

"Lily…" the Doctor sighed.

"How are you two doing that?" Christina demanded as she set her pack down next to the hole.

"Telepathic bond." The Doctor explained.

"Oh, fantastic." She muttered.

Lily laid down next to the hole, her head hanging over the edge as she looked down, completely ignoring Christina.

"If I can use that sunlight to start the automatic maintenance." The Doctor called as he arrived in the control room. "Lily, Christina, if you see a panel opening in that shaft, let me know.

Christina opened the pack and began fishing around in it.

"Nothing yet." Lily called, concentrating on the hole.

"Anything now?" he asked.

"Nope." She replied.

"Any sign of movement?" he called.

"Nope."

"How's that?"

"Nope."

"Any result?"

"Not a dickey bird." Christina replied.

"What she said. Whatever it means." Lily said, still not looking up.

"So let me get this right." Christina said. "You need that crystal? Then consider it done!"

"Why, what d'you mean?" the Doctor called. "Christina? Lily!"

"The aristocracy survived for a reason." Christina called. "We're ready for anything."

Lily jumped up as Christina went sailing by her head.

"You didn't tell me she was insane!" Lily barked at the Doctor as he came running in.

The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver at the winch Christina had set up.

She suddenly stopped.

"That's better!" the Doctor said, turning to Lily. "You should have been watching her."

"How was I to know she was suicidal?" Lily demanded.

"Just a minute you were going to do the same thing, but without the winch!" the Doctor shot back.

"Yeah, but I can rearrange the atomic structure of the air." Lily replied. waving her arms around. "She just jumped with just a rope to save her! That makes me daring, and her insane!"

"I decide when I stop, thank you!" Christina called to them.

"You're about to hit the security grid, your ladyship." Lily called snidely.

"Excellent." Christina said, taken aback. "So what do I do?"

"Not jump into holes half cocked?" Lily suggested.

"Try the big, red button." The Doctor told her.

She pressed it and the grid faded away.

"Well done!" Christina called.

"Now come back up." The Doctor told her. "I can do that."

"Oh, don't you wish!" Christina told him.

Lily threw her hands up.

"Slowly!" the Doctor said, giving in.

"Yes, sir!" Christina called as she began to descend.

"Like a mystery, don't you?" the Doctor called. "Lady Christina de Souza. Carrying a winch in her bag."

"No stranger than you, spaceman." She called back.

"Hey, no one but Donna gets to call him that." Lily said.

"And is she right?" Christina asked. "Do you zoom about the place in a rocket?"

"Well, little blue box." The Doctor replied. "Travels in more than space. It can journey through time, Christina. Oh, the places we've been. World War I. Creation of the Universe. End of the Universe."

"Killed both of my brothers there." Lily added. "They got better. Well, mostly."

"War between China and Japan." The Doctor continued.

He peered into Christina's bag and pulled out a large gold cup.

"And the court of King Athelstan in 924 AD." He said. "I don't remember you being there. So what are you doing with this?"

"Excuse me." She called. "A gentleman never goes through a lady's possessions."

"You haven't been paying attention if you think he's a gentleman." Lily said.

The Tritovore asked something.

"It's the cup of Athelstan." The Doctor replied. "It was given to the first King of Britain as a coronation gift by Hywel, King of the Welsh. It's been held in the International Gallery of 200 years. Which makes you, Lady Christina, a thief!"

"I like to think I liberated it!" she replied.

"Don't tell me you need the money." The Doctor told her.

"Daddy lost everything." Christina told him. "Invested his fortune in the Icelandic banks."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no." the Doctor disagreed. "You're short of cash, you rob a bank. Stealing this…that's a lifestyle."

"I take it you disapprove." Christina said.

"Absolutely!" the Doctor said.

"Oh, please, like you have room to talk." Lily said. "You stole the TARDIS. From your own people!"

"Good boy!" Christina called. "You were right…we're quite a team!"

There was a metallic roar.

"What the blazes was that?" Christina yelled.

"We never did find out why the ship crashed." Lily said softly.

"Christina, I think you should come back up!" the Doctor called.

"Too late." She replied. "I can see it."

"Careful, slowly." The Doctor told her.

"Do you guys have an open vent system?" Lily asked the Tritovores.

They answered.

"Yeah, Christina, you're going to want to hurry it up!" she called to the other woman.

"What does that mean?" she called back.

"It's like when birds fly into the engines of an aircraft." The Doctor explained.

"One of the creatures." Christina replied.

"They're all trapped in the vents." The Doctor said. "Caused the crash. Christina, get out!"

"It's not moving." She told them. "I think it's injured."

"No, it's dormant because they're so cold down there, but your body heat is raising the temperature." The Doctor told her.

"I tend to have that effect." Christina said. "Almost there!"

"Not just the crystal, I need the whole bed, the plate thing." The Doctor told her.

"I've got it." She called.

"Get her up here." Lily told him. "I'll take care of the rest."

The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver at the winch and Christina came flying back up, chased by the Stingray.

"Come on." The Doctor muttered.

Christina came flying out of the hole and the Doctor quickly pulled her out of the way as the stingray came flying out after her. It was suddenly caught in a gold bubble and Christina and the Doctor turned to see Lily, with her hand outstretched in front of her, her eyes glowing.

"What are you?" Lily asked as the creature rammed itself against the walls of the bubble.

Everyone jumped back, except Lily and the Doctor who moved closer.

"I'm trying to help you." Lily told it. "Just tell me what you are."

It slammed against the walls even harder. The Doctor steadied her as she staggered.

She glanced at her mate before looking back at the creature.

"I'm sorry." She told it. "I'm so sorry."

They watched as the field collapsed, atomizing the creature as it went.

Lily turned into the Doctor and he wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay." He told her softly. "I've got you."

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

The Tritovores said something.

"I'm not anything of the sort." Lily told them.

The Doctor took her hand and she nodded.

"Come on." He said, leading them back through the ship. "Commander, we should leave this place now. We should get back to the 200, all of us."

He listened impatiently.

"Oh, don't be so daft!" he told them. "The Captain can leave his ship if there's a bus standing by!"

A roar made them all jump.

"What the hell was that?" Christina asked. "Is this place safe?"

They heard a noise.

"It's the creature." She said. "It's not dead!"

"Trust me." Lily told her. "It's dead. It's what I do best."

"Maybe you didn't hit just one of them." The Doctor said. "If you hit a swarm…"

"D'you mean there's more on board?" Christina demanded.

"This ship's built inside a metal sleeve." The Doctor said. "They can move through the infrastructure all around us!"

Sand fell in front of them.

"And they wake up hungry." Lily said.

"What about Lily?" Christina asked. "Can't she just do what she did before?"

"I can't." Lily said. "I won't."

"No." the Doctor agreed. "We just need to get out of here. Come on."

He held his hand out to the Tritovores.

"Are you going to come with us right now?" the Doctor demanded.

"Come back to Earth." Lily told them. "We're already taking a Te'kla home, we can take you too."

One of the Tritovores went back to the console and as he was fiddling with something, when a stingray came through the ceiling and grabbed him. Before they could do anything, it took the second as well.

"There's nothing we can do." The Doctor said. "Run!"

They ran out of the ship and raced ahead of the storm to the bus.

As they ran down a dune, the phone began to ring and the Doctor managed to get out of his pocket.

"Er, Doctor, I-" Malcolm said.

"Not now Malcolm!" the Doctor screamed.

As the Doctor, Lily, and Christina ran to the bus, the boys came out to see them.

"At last!" Nathan called. "Where have you been?"

"Get inside!" the Doctor ordered. "Get them sitting down."

Lily walked to the wall of the bus and laid a hand on it, a flare of gold rolling away from her.

"This should help protect the bus." Lily told him. "Do what you need to do."

She sat down, her hand never leaving the wall.

"Now then, let's have a look." The Doctor said.

"So what does the crystal do?" Christina asked.

"Oh, nothing, don't need the crystal." The Doctor replied, tossing it to Lily who slipped it into her pocket.

"Oh, I've risked my life for that!" Christina protested.

"No, no, you risked your life for these." The Doctor told her, running to the steering wheel. "The clamps! One there! Another one. One there, and one there." He motioned to the wheels.

"So what are the clamps for?" Christina asked. "Do they turn the wheels?"

"Meh, something like that." The Doctor replied. "Have you got a hammer in that bag?"

"Funnily enough…" she replied.

She went to get it and the Doctor handed the phone to Lily. She pressed redial.

"Malcolm, it's me." He called.

"I'm ready." Malcolm replied.

"Ready for what?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know, you tell me!" the man replied.

'Strange little man' Lily mouthed to him.

The Doctor attached the plate to the steering wheel. Lily handed the phone to Christina and she held it to the Doctor's ear.

"I'm going to try to get back," He told Malcolm, "but listen, there might be something following us. You need to find a way to close the wormhole."

"Would that be a compressed burst of feedback on a counter oscillation perchance?" Malcolm asked smugly.

"Oh, Malcolm, you're brilliant!" The Doctor replied, grinning.

"Coming from you, sir, that means the world." Malcolm replied.

"Doctor, what sort of 'something'?" Erisa asked. "That wormhole is now measuring ten miles and growing. I need to know the exact nature of the threat."

"Sorry, gotta go." The Doctor said, nodding for Christina to disconnect the call.

The Doctor attached the clamps to the steering wheel and tried to make it start. Instead, all that happened was it hissed and sparked.

"Ugh, it's not compatible." He said, frustrated. "Bus, spaceship, spaceship, bus. I need to weld the two systems together."

"And how d'you do that?" Christina asked.

"I need something non-corrosive." The Doctor said. "Er, something malleable, something ductile."

"Gold!"Lily said, smirking.

Christina looked between them.

"Oh, no you don't." she told them.

"Christina, what is it worth now?" the Doctor asked her.

"Hey, hey, hey." Barclay said, holding out his watch. "Use this."

"We said gold." The Doctor told him.

"It is gold." Barclay replied.

"Oh, honey, they saw you coming, didn't they?" Lily told him.

"Christina!" The Doctor barked.

Christian looked between them again, with a pained expression. Finally she turned to her backpack. She looked at the people on the bus and then finally pulled out the cup.

"It's over 1000 years old, worth 18 million pounds." She told him, handing it to him. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise." The Doctor told her.

He turned it upside down and set it down on the ticket machine before grabbing the hammer and beating it into shape.

Christina stared in shock while Lily chuckled behind her.

"I hate you." Christina told them.

Lily burst out laughing.

A/N: Fourth Chapter of Planet of the Dead. One more and it's done. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	12. Planet of the Dead: Magical Mystery Tour

Disclaimer: If all the world was mine, I would trade it all for him.

Ch. 12:

The Doctor finished what he was doing and grabbed the mic.

"This is your driver speaking." He called. "Hold on tight."

"Wh-what for?" Barclay asked. "What are you doing?"

"Do as he says!" Christina ordered before turning to the Doctor. "What are you doing?"

The Doctor revved up the engine.

"Come on, that's it!" he called. "You can do it, my beauty. One last trip!"

The bus wobbled and the Doctor jumped to his feet.

"Do you really think that's going to help?" Lily asked him.

The bus lifted into the air and he grinned at her.

"I hate it when you pull stuff like that." She told him, returning the grin.

"Oh, you are so kidding me!" Barclay said.

"We're flying!" Nathan marveled. "It's flying!"

"It's flying!" Lou yelled. "The bus!"

"It's a miracle!" Angela called.

"Anti-gravity cloud-didn't I say?" the Doctor told them. "Round we go!"

Everyone cried out as the bus spun to face the wormhole.

"Lily-girl?" the Doctor called.

"I've got the bus covered." She told him, her eyes glowing. "At least it shouldn't damage this thing anymore than it already is."

"Good enough for me." He told her.

"Doctor!" Christina said, glancing out the window. "They're coming!"

The Doctor opened the window and peered in the rearview mirror at the swarm approaching.

"D'you think we'll survive the journey back?" she asked.

"Honey, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that." Lily told her. "In this bus, we do not ask questions like that. You're as bad as him, tempting fate like that."

"You heard the lady." The Doctor called. "Next stop!"

"Planet Earth!" Christina finished.

"Yehaw!" Lily yelled.

The Doctor stared at her.

"Oh, god." She whispered, covering her face with her free hand. "I really am southern. Just…drive the bus."

The Doctor smiled and drove them straight at the wormhole.

The passengers screamed as it was suddenly engulfed in darkness.

And then they were through.

"It's London!" Barclay called, looking out the window.

"Oh, we're back home!" Angela cried.

"He did it." Nathan said. "He did it!"

"Oi!" Lily yelled, wincing as things hit her shield. "Shot the stingrays not the bus!"

The Doctor grabbed the phone.

"Malcolm!" he called. "Close that wormhole!"

"Yes, sir!" Malcolm replied. "My pleasure, sir!"

He hung up and the Doctor stared at the phone in disbelief.

"He's hung up on me!" he told Lily.

"How rude of him!" Lily replied.

The Doctor hit redial.

"Malcolm!" he said.

"Not now, I'm busy!" Malcolm replied, hanging up again.

"He's hung up again!" the Doctor said before hitting redial again. "Malcolm, listen to me!"

"It's not working!" Malcolm told him.

"I need that signal." The Doctor said. "We've got billions of those things about to fly through."

"Well, what do I do?" Malcolm demanded.

"Use the backfeed intergrator and keep the signal ramping up!" the Doctor ordered.

"But by how much?" the man asked.

"500 bernards." The Doctor replied, frustrated. "Do it now!"

The group watched as the wormhole faded and UNIT shot down the stingrays that had made it through.

"Doctor, it's coming for us!" Nathan called.

"Oh no you don't!" Lily yelled.

Her eyes flared and the stingray disintegrated. Her eyes returned to their normal color and she sagged in her seat.

Christina smirked at Lily before turning to the Doctor.

"Did I say I hated you?" she asked. "I was lying."

She reached for the Doctor, but cried out in pain as her hands slammed into a gold barrier.

"Try it," Lily told her, smiling, "and I'll break your legs."

She got up and walked over.

"Excuse me." She said, sliding around Christina and moving easily through the barrier to slide into the Doctor's lap.

She grasped the front of his jacket and laid her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Can we go home now?" she asked.

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head as Christina sat down with a huff.

"Yeah." He told her. "Let's go home."

He let her go, but she stayed put as he grasped the steering wheel.

"Ladies and gentlemen." He called. "You have reached your final destination. Welcome home the mighty 200!"

He brought the bus down to a save landing as the passengers cried and laughed with relief. He pointed the sonic screwdriver and the doors opened.

Everyone got up to leave and Lily hopped off the Doctor's lap and held out her hand. He took it and she pulled him to the door.

"Welcome back everyone." A soldier greeted them. "Step away from the bus just to be safe. As fast as you can, thank you. Standard procedure, we need to screen you and then you'll all be taken for debriefing."

"We don't count." The Doctor said, motioning to Lily and himself as he flashed the psychic paper.

"No, but Doctor…" Christina said.

"With me ma'am." The soldier said, grabbing her arm and dragging her along as Lily waved.

Erisa moved towards them, but Malcolm made it there first.

"Doctor!" he called. "Phoenix!"

"You must be Malcolm." The Doctor said.

"Oh!" the man cried, grabbing him in a hug. "Oh! Oh, I love you!"

Erisa stifled a grin as the Doctor smiled awkwardly and Lily laughed.

"I love you!" Malcolm repeated as he pulled away. "I-I love you!"

Lily smiled and leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Thanks for the help, Mal." She told him.

He pressed his hand to his cheek, staring at her in open adoration.

"To your station, Dr. Taylor." Erisa told him quietly.

He shook his head to clear it before turning to her.

"Er, yes ma'am." He said.

He turned back to the Doctor and Lily.

"I love you!" he told them, pointing.

The Doctor pointed back as Lily smiled and waved. Malcolm headed back to the UNIT trucks, looking thrilled.

Erisa stepped up to them.

"Doctor, Phoenix." She said, saluting. "I salute you whether you like it or not."

The Doctor cringed away like he'd been slapped and Lily grinned.

"Oh, I like her." She told him.

"You would." He muttered.

"Now, I take it we're safe from those things." Erisa said briskly.

"They'll start again." The Doctor told her. "Generate a new doorway. It's not their fault, it's their natural lifecycle. But I'll see if I can launch the wormholes onto uninhabited planets."

Lily quickly walked towards the bus survivors and grabbed Nathan and Barclay, dragging them back with her.

"Closer to home." She said. "These two are fantastic in a crisis. Nathan needs a job and Barclay's good with engines. If you ask me, you could do a lot worse."

"Privates Nathan and Barclay." The Doctor said, grinning. "UNIT's finest."

"I'll see what I can do." Erisa sighed.

Lily clapped her hands and sent the boys back with a grin.

"And I've got something for you." Erisa continued.

The Doctor and Lily turned to see the TARDIS sitting in the bed of a truck.

"Hoh ho ho." The Doctor said as Lily ran towards the box. "Better than a bus any day! Hello!"

Lily reached the door and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"You're kidding me!" he heard her yell at the ship. "He's forgiven me, what's your problem? Oh, don't give me that!"

He shook his head as she continued arguing with the ship.

"Found in the gardens of Buckingham Palace." Erisa told him.

"Oh, she doesn't mind." He replied.

"Now, I've got three dead alien stingrays to clear up." She told him. "I don't suppose you fancy helping with the paperwork."

"Not a chance." He replied, smiling.

"Until we meet again, Doctor." She said, offering her hand.

"I hope so." He replied, shaking it.

"Tell your mate to be careful." She told him.

"I'll try." He said, laughing.

He turned and walked back to the TARDIS.

"I said I'm back Suzanne." He heard Angela say into her phone. "I'm home!"

She looked at Nathan next to her.

"Didn't even know I was gone." She said, both of them laughing.

Christina bolted away from the UNIT soldier scanning her.

"That's quite enough of that!" she said.

"She's not getting away this time!" a police officer yelled.

"The little blue box, just like you said." She said, coming up to the Doctor and Lily. "Right then, off we go! Come on, Doctor, show me the stars."

"No." the Doctor said seriously.

For the first time, Lily wasn't glaring at her. Instead it looked like pity.

"What?" Christina asked, disbelieving.

"I said no." he repeated.

"But I saved your life." She told him. "And you saved mine."

"So?" he asked.

"We're surrounded by police!" she said. "I'll go to prison!"

"Yeah." He replied, nodding.

"But you were right, it's not about the money." She told him. "I only steal things for the adventure, and today, with you…I want more days like this. I want every day to be like this! We're made for each other-you said so yourself! The perfect team!"

"I've already got my perfect team." He told her.

"So what?" she asked. "I can't fit in?"

"People have travelled with us and we've lost them." He told her as Lily looked away. "Lost them all. Never again."

"Lady Christina de Souza." An inspector said, walking up. "Oh, I have waited a long time to say this! I am arresting you on suspicion of theft."

As she was handcuffed, Christina stared at the Doctor, who stared at the ground, and Lily, who looked right at her, sadness etched in her face.

"You don't have to say anything, et cetera, et cetera." The man continued. "Dennison, take her away."

As she was led away, Carmen and Lou were escorted by UNIT officers past the TARDIS. Carmen stopped and looked at them.

"Doctor." She said, making him look up. "You take care now."

"You, too." He told her cheerfully. "Chops and gravy, lovely!"

"No." she said. "But you be careful. Because your song is ending, sir."

Lily stepped forward and took his hand.

"What do you mean?" she asked the other woman.

"It is returning." Carmen told them. "It is returning through the dark. And then, Doctor…oh, but then…" She nodded. "He will knock four times."

The Doctor and Lily watched her, confusion and fear written in both their faces.

She moved away and they watched her go before turning back to watch Christina being put into a police car.

"Oh, you might as well." Lily sighed.

He reached into his coat and fished out the sonic screwdriver, pointing it at her handcuffs. She stared at them in confusion until she felt her handcuffs open.

The Doctor smiled slightly as he put the screwdriver away, and Lily grinned and gave a little wave.

Christina quickly ducked out of the car on the far side and ran back through the police and UNIT lines.

"No, don't!" the inspector yelled, chasing after her. "Stop that woman! Stop that woman! Stop her!"

Christina ran straight back to the bus.

"Don't just stand there, stop her!" the man yelled.

As Christina scrambled onto the bus, the Doctor and Lily strolled up to the cars. They watched as Christina closed the bus doors in the inspector's face.

"Open the door!" he yelled, pounding on the door. "I'll add resisting arrest!"

"I'd step back if I were you." Lily told him as they walked up.

"I'm charging you, too." He told her. "Aiding and abetting."

"Me?" Lily demanded. "I don't even like her!"

"Yes." The Doctor said, grabbing the back of Lily's shirt and pulling her along. "We'll just step inside this police box and arrest ourselves."

"Out now!" the inspector ordered, pointing his radio at Christina.

She just waved at him and started to take the bus up as the man stared in confusion. He took a step back as the bus took flight.

"No!" he bellowed. "Come back!"

Angela and Barclay were laughing.

"Go on!" Angela shouted.

Malcolm and Erisa were watching her as Carmen and Lou waved.

The Doctor and Lily were about to enter the TARDIS when they turned to see the bus hovering over them.

Christina opened the door.

"We could have been so good together!" she called to the Doctor.

Lily glared at her.

"Over my dead body." She called back to the other woman.

She turned back to the Doctor.

"Get inside!" she ordered him.

He laughed and waved at Christina. She smiled and closed the doors before steering the bus away.

The other passengers cheered and the Doctor and Lily walked into the TARDIS.

A/N: And that's it for Planet of the Dead. Tune in next time for The Waters of Mars. Oh….REVIEW!

Abbey


	13. The Waters of Mars: Red

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even my soul. I sold it for the Doctor and I still don't have him. I think I got screwed somewhere.

I don't own Phoenix Burn by Alpha Rev. If you haven't heard this song, go listen to it. I'll wait.

I also don't own Ordinary Day by Vanessa Carlton.

Ch. 13:

The Doctor found Lily right where he always found her.

"You still like to sing." He said as he opened the door to the music room.

She turned and smiled at him.

"Yeah." She replied. "But I seem to like guitar more than piano now."

"Well good thing we have some of those." He told her, sitting down next to her.

"Yes it is." She replied, smiling as she ran her hand over the wood of the guitar in her lap.

She held it and began to play.

"_I need a love that will release me, keep me honest, keep me happy. I need a peace with understanding, trying to find a softer landing."_

Her voice was lower than before, but still clear and strong.

"_I wanna know when I can change this, or give it up and just embrace it. I need to find a way of letting it go when everything falls apart._

_I've taken too much, given up. I am twisted, burning, breaking up. I need to find a way of letting it go when everything falls apart. I could try, but I'd never take it. Yell and I will never be heard. You will be my phoenix burn. I could run, but I'd never reach it. Leave, but I might never return. You will be my phoenix burn._

_I wanna push through the undiscovered. Find my answers, leave them uncovered. I wanna speak out what I believe in. That love will heal us, give us our freedom.  
I wanna see what's on the horizon. Change directions, stop the fighting. I need to find a way of letting it go when everything falls apart._

_I've taken too much, given up. I am twisted, burning, breaking up. I need to find a way of letting it go when everything falls apart. I could try, but I'd never take it. Yell and I will never be heard. You will be my phoenix burn. I could run, but I'd never reach it. Leave, but I might never return. You will be my phoenix burn._

_You will be my phoenix burn."_

The Doctor reached over and pushed a lock of hair back from her face as she set the guitar aside. She had changed the black tips to flaming red tips.

"Did you write that?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Nah, I heard it while I was on Earth." She told him. "I guess the phoenix part called to me."

He grinned and kissed her forehead.

"It would." He told her. "Lunch in five?"

"Let me just clean up." She told him.

He looked around at the music and instruments strewn across the room.

"I'll make it ten." He said, standing up.

"Jerk." She said, pushing him.

He grinned and walked out the door.

She smiled as she watched him leave. She sighed and started putting things away. After a second, she gave up and sat down at the piano.

"_Just a day, just an ordinary day. Just trying to get by. Just a boy, just an ordinary boy, but he was looking to the sky.  
And he asked if I would come along, I started realize, that every day he finds just what he's looking for, like a shooting star he shines._

_And he said 'Take my hand, live while you can. Don't you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand?'._

_And as he spoke, he spoke ordinary words, although they did not fell, no, for I felt what I had not felt before, and you'd swear those words couldn't heal that.  
And as I looked up into those eyes, his vision borrows mine, and I know he's no stranger, for I feel I've held him for all of time._

_And he said 'Take my hand, live while you can. Don't you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand?'.  
In the palm of your hand._

_Please come with me. See what I see. Touch the stars for time will not flee, time will not flee, can't you see?_

_Just a dream, just an ordinary dream, as I wake in bed. And the boy, that ordinary boy, or was it all in my head?_

"_Didn't he ask if I would come along? It all seemed so real. But as I looked to the door, I saw that boy standing there with a deal._

_And he said 'Take my hand, live while you can. Don't you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand?'.  
In the palm of your hand, in the palm of your hand._

_Just a day, just an ordinary day. Just trying to get by.  
Just a boy, just an ordinary boy, but he was looking to the sky."_

She smiled softly to herself before closing the piano and continuing her cleaning.

* * *

The Doctor leaned against the door as she finished singing and smiled. He quietly walked off.

_You're happy._ The TARDIS said.

_Really?_ The Doctor said sarcastically. _What was your first clue?_

_Don't be snippy._ She told him. _I'm glad you're both happy._

_Me too._ He told her seriously.

He walked into the kitchen and started to get food together.

A minute later, Lily came in and sat down at the table as he put a sandwich down in front of her.

"I miss Bob." She said as she took a bite.

"Lily, you can't keep a Te'kla as a pet." The Doctor told her patiently as he sat down.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because it's a wild animal that ate four people and tried to eat you and Jack!" he told her.

They had had this conversation every few hours since they had dropped the animal off.

"It was just misunderstood and scared." She told him.

"Lily, Bob is gone." The Doctor told her. "Please let it go."

"But…" she protested.

"No keeping of life force eating monsters of pets." He told her. "It's a TARDIS rule."

"Since when?" she demanded.

"Since now." He shot back.

She huffed, but backed down.

"Where are we going next?" she asked.

"I thought Mars might be fun." He said.

"Pre or post colonization?" she asked.

"Oh, pre, of course." He replied. "There's no fun in post."

"Good." She replied, smiling.

They quickly finished eating and made their way to the control room.

"We're going to need space suits." The Doctor said after they landed.

"Oh, why?" Lily whined. "I can't create a barrier to keep us safe."

"Because space suits are normal, and I don't want you using your powers more than necessary." He told her.

"You're afraid they'll corrupt me?" she asked.

"I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind." He told her.

She looked away, but he reached over and made her look at him.

"I know you don't worry about it, but your powers make me nervous." He told her. "I just want you to be as safe as possible."

She sighed.

"Space suits?" she asked. "Really?"

"Yes, really." He said, pulling her to the wardrobe.

They quickly got dressed and headed out.

"The red planet!" the Doctor said happily as they stepped out.

Lily pulled at her suit.

"These things suck." She told him.

"Oh, at least try to have fun." He told her.

She took a deep breath and forced a grin onto her face.

"Okay, I think you were going for happy, but you missed it." He told her. "So if we could have less homicidal maniac and more happy, that'd be great."

She stuck her tongue out at him, but the smile that followed was a real one.

"That's it!" he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

She laughed and wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked off.

They walked along, talking and laughing, until they made it to a high point and stopped.

"Oh, beautiful!" the Doctor said.

Suddenly, he felt something push into his back.

"Rotate." A metallic voice said.

The Doctor and Lily slowly raised their hands.

"Slowly." The voice continued. "You are under arrest. For trespassing. Gadget-gadget."

The Doctor and Lily were confronted by a white robot with tank-like tracks, long arms, and a head with a camera. It was pointing a gun at them and it's joints sparked.

"I thought we were aiming for pre colonization." Lily muttered.

"We were." The Doctor muttered back.

"You failed." She told him.

* * *

An older woman held a gun on them.

"State your name, rank, and intention." She told them.

"The Doctor." He replied, glancing warily at the gun. "Doctor." He paused and then said, almost sadly, "Fun."

The woman glanced at Lily.

"Oh, you want mine too?" she asked. "Well, my name's the Phoenix, I don't have rank, and, um, yeah, fun sums up my intentions pretty well too!"

She smiled.

A door burst open and a man ran in, breathless.

"What the hell?" he asked, moving to get a better look at Lily and the Doctor. "It's a man and woman!"

They all stood in a white room with a dome in the ceiling and the Doctor stood with his hands in his pockets and Lily stood next to him with her hands clasped behind her back. The woman was still holding the gun on them.

"A man and woman on Mars!" the man continued. "How?"

Another woman held up their space suits.

"They were wearing these things." She said. "I have never seen anything like this."

"See, I told you we should've done without the space suits." Lily told the Doctor.

"Oh, yeah, because that would've been so much better." He replied, rolling his eyes.

She slapped him upside the head.

"Stop it." Said the woman holding the gun.

"Yes, ma'am." Lily said, nodding and looking very contrite.

"What did mission control say?" the man asked.

"They're out of range for ten hours with the solar flares." The woman holding their suits said.

"You could cut the chat everyone." The woman holding the gun said.

"Actually, chat's second on my list, the first being gun, pointed at my mate's head." The Doctor said. "Which puts her head second and chat third, I think. Gun…Lily's head…chat…yeah." He shook his head. "I hate lists."

"That's cause you always mess them up." Lily told him.

"The point is, you could hurt someone with that thing!" the Doctor continued. "Just put it down."

"Oh, you'd like that." The woman replied.

"Can you find me someone who wouldn't?" he asked her.

"Why should I trust you?" she asked.

"Because I give you my word." He told her. "And forty million miles away from home, my word is all you've got."

There was a brief moment of silence before the woman lowered the gun.

"Keep Gadget covering him." She ordered the other man in the room.

He was standing next to the robot wearing mechanical gloves.

"Gadget-gadget." The robot said.

Lily and the Doctor looked over their shoulders at the man.

"Oh, so you control that thing." Lily said. "Auto-glove response?"

"You got it!" he said. "To the right."

He moved his right hand and Gadget moved right.

"Gadget-gadget."

"And to the left." He said, moving his left hand, the robot following the motion.

Then it shot sparks.

"It's a bit flimsy." The Doctor said.

"Gadget-gadget."

"Does it have to keep saying that?" he demanded.

"I think it's funny." The man said, obviously unhappy.

"I hate funny robots." The Doctor said through clenched teeth.

Lily gently elbowed him.

_What?_ He asked.

_You're hurting the boy's feelings._ She told him.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else.

A voice came over the speakers.

"Excuse me boss." A woman called. "Computer log shows we've got two extra people on site. How's that possible?"

"Keep the bio-dome closed." The woman with the gun ordered. "And when you're using open comms, you call me Captain."

'Captain'? Lily mouthed.

The Doctor shrugged.

"Yeah, but who is it?" the other woman asked.

The Captain cut her off.

"It can't be a wild state flight because we'd know about it." Another man said. "Therefore it's got to be one of the independents, yeah?"

The Doctor stood with his arms folded across his chest as the Captain and the man circled him and Lily. Well, him. Lily was walking along side them.

"Was it the Branson Inheritance fund?" the man asked. "They've been taking about a Mars shot for years."

"Right, yeah, okay, you got us." The Doctor said, turning to face him. "So, I'm the Doctor and that's the Phoenix. And you are?"

"Oh, come on!" the Captain said abruptly. "We're the first off-world colonists in history! Everyone on planet Earth knows who we are."

Lily froze and the Doctor looked at them in growing realization.

"The first?" he asked faintly. "The very first humans on Mars? Then this is…"

"Bowie Base One." The Doctor and the Captain said in unison.

"Number one?" Lily demanded. "Founded July 1st 2058? Bowie Base One in the Gusev Crater."

They looked from person to person.

"You've been here how long?" the Doctor asked.

"Seventeen months." The Captain replied.

"2059?" Lily whispered, horror in her voice.

"It's 2059, right now?" the Doctor asked, lightly, trying to cover her.

"You're Captain Adelaide Brooke." Lily said softly.

_Born May 12, 1999. _Lily said.

_Died 2059._ The Doctor finished.

"And Ed!" he said, turning to the man. "You're deputy Edward Gold!"

_Also died 2059. _Lily said.

"Tarak Ital, M.D." she said, looking at the man who had burst through the door.

_And again._

"Nurse Yuri Kerenski." The Doctor said, pointing.

_Same._

"Senior Technician Steffi Ehrlich." He said, looking at the other woman.

"Junior technician Roman Groom." Lily identified the young man controlling the robot.

"Geologist Mia Bennett." The Doctor said.

Lily looked at the young woman.

"You're only 27 years old." She said sadly.

Mia frowned.

"As I said," Adelaide interrupted. "Everyone knows our names."

"Oh, they'll never forget them." The Doctor said.

"What's the date today?" Lily demanded. "What is it? The exact date?"

"November 21st, 2059." Adelaide replied.

Lily closed her eyes in horror and the Doctor looked away.

_Today._ She whispered silently. _It's destroyed today. We need to go._

"Right." The Doctor said briskly. "Fine."

"Is there something wrong?" Steffi asked.

"What's so important about my age?" Mia asked.

The Doctor nodded again.

"We should…go." He said. "We really should go."

He stepped away, pulling Lily with him, but Adelaide and the others turned to face them.

"I'm sorry." He told them. "I'm…I'm sorry with all my hearts. But it's one of those very rare times when we've got no choice."

Lily hid her face behind his arm as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"It's been an honor!" he told them.

He went around and shook all of their hands.

"Seriously, a very great honor to meet you all." He told them. "The Martian pioneers. Oh, thank you!"

He went to shake Roman's hands, but the man pulled away, motioning to the gloves, so the Doctor tapped Gadget instead.

"Gadget-gadget."

As the Doctor got to Adelaide, Lily moved to his side. He stood and saluted the Captain.

"Thank you!" he told her as Lily shook her hand.

They moved to the door, but Lily stopped.

"Where's the other two?" she asked. "Margaret Cain and Andrew Stone?"

Ed moved to the comms.

"Maggie, if you want to meet the only new human beings you're going to see in the next five years, better come take a look." He called.

The only response was a low growl.

A/N: First chapter of The Waters of Mars. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	14. The Waters of Mars: Blue

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Fine, sue me if you don't believe I'm sincere. That whole dollar you'll get should take you far.

Ch. 14:

"What was that?" Mia asked.

"Doctor, we really should go." Lily said softly.

Neither one moved.

"This central." Ed called. "Bio-dome report immediately."

"Show me the bio-dome." Adelaide ordered, sitting down at the computer.

Ed scanned through the feeds until he found the bio-dome, but only static appeared when he pulled it up.

"Oh, cameras are down." He said.

"Show me the exterior." Adelaide ordered tensely.

Ed dropped into a chair and pulled up the proper feed. They watched as the dome when dark as the lights were switched off, one by one. Finally, it went dark altogether.

"I'm going over." Adelaide said, turning to Lily and the Doctor. "Doctor, Phoenix, with me!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry." The Doctor said. "Um, we-we'd love to help, but we're leaving. Right now."

He took their suits from Steffi.

"Take their space suits." Adelaide ordered. "Lock them up."

Steffi did as ordered.

"This started as soon as you arrived so you're not going anywhere except with me." Adelaide told the two Time Lords.

"Screw that, we're out of here." Lily said. "We don't need the space suits."

_Lily._ The Doctor said, touching her arm.

She stared at him.

_You've got to be kidding!_ She told him.

_We can't just walk out of here. _he said.

_Yes we can._ She shot back. _And that's what we're going to do!_

_Let's just see what's going on._ He told her. _Then we'll go before anything happens._

She sighed but nodded.

The others watched them, confused.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily followed Adelaide and Tarak down a dark hallway with Gadget lighting the way with flashlights.

"Gadget-gadget."

"What's so important about Mia's age?" Adelaide asked. "You said she's only 27. What does that matter? What did you mean?"

"Sometimes my brain isn't always involved in the speaking process." Lily told her dismissively. "Things just pop out. They don't mean anything."

"You're telling me." Tarak muttered.

"Thank you, doctor." The Doctor said, glaring at him.

"Anytime." The man replied. "Doctor."

"Gadget-gadget."

"I hate robots." The Doctor said. "Did I say?"

"Yeah, and he's not too fond of you!" Roman shot back through the comms. "What's wrong with robots?"

"It's not the robot; it's just the people." The Doctor told him. "Dressing them up, giving them silly voices, like you're reducing them."

"Yeah, friend of mine, she made her domestic robot look like a dog." Roman replied.

"Oh, well, dogs!" the Doctor said. "That's different."

Lily elbowed him again.

"But I adapted Gadget out of the worker drones." Roman said. "Those things are huge. They built this place when the shell was lowered down from orbit. Got a strength capacity of fifteen tons-"

"This channel is open for essential communications only." Adelaide interrupted.

"Sorry." Roman replied before adding softly, "Love those drones."

"I've read all that stuff about you, Captain Adelaide." The Doctor said. "The one thing they never said-was it worth it?"

"We've got excellent results from the soil analysis." She replied.

"No, but all of it." Lily said. "You've sacrificed everything. Devoted your whole life to get here. Do you ever think it was too much?"

"It's been chaos back home." Adelaide replied softly. "Forty long years. The climate, the ozone, the oil apocalypse. We almost reached extinction. And to fly above that…to stand on a world with no smoke…where the only straight line is the sunlight…yes, it's worth it."

"Ah, that's the Adelaide Brooke I always wanted to meet." The Doctor said, smiling. "The woman with starlight in her soul."

She didn't reply.

Suddenly, they were distracted by something on the floor ahead.

"What's that?" Adelaide asked.

They ran up to it and found that it was a body.

"It's Maggie!" Adelaide said.

"Don't touch her!" the Doctor ordered.

"I know the procedure!" Tarak shot back as he leaned over her, pulling on rubber gloves. "Maggie, can you hear me? It's Tarak. Maggie…"

He rolled her onto her back.

"It's okay." He said. "She's still breathing."

The Doctor glanced at Lily before looking along the dark hallway.

"She's alive." Tarak confirmed, pulling out his comms device.

"Yuri, I've got Margaret Caine." He called. "Head trauma. I need a full med pack."

"I've got it!" Yuri called back. "Med pack on its way."

A few minutes later, they saw Yuri and Ed running down the hallway.

"Don't touch her, use the gloves!" the Doctor ordered them.

"Do what he says." Tarak told them. "Get her to sick bay. Put her in isolation."

"We're going to the bio-dome." Adelaide told them. "Tarak, with me. Yuri can take care of her. Ed, go back. Gadget, stand guard. Keen eye on this area."

"Gadget-gadget."

"Captain, you're going to need me." Ed said, making Adelaide sigh. "Andy's the only other crew member out here. And if that wasn't an accident, then he's gone wild."

"You've deserted your post." Adelaide told him. "Consider that an official warning. Now get back to work. Doctor!"

"What am I, chopped liver?" Lily muttered.

She glanced at Ed, raising an eyebrow, before she and the Doctor followed Adelaide.

"Captain," came Steffi's voice over the comms. "That sound we heard from the bio-dome…I've run it through diagnostics. According to the computer, it's…Andy."

The Doctor, Lily, Tarak, and Adelaide were now standing in an airlock.

"It registers as the voiceprint of Andy Stone." Steffi told them.

"Understood." Adelaide replied. "Double check thanks."

"Air-pressure stabilized." Tarak said from the computer.

The door opened and Adelaide stepped out. Lily slipped her hand into the Doctor's as they followed her and Tarak out.

"Andrew?" Adelaide called. "Andrew Stone? It's Captain Brooke. Andy report. I need to see you. Where are you?"

The Doctor squeezed Lily's hand before letting go and walking to the computer and using the sonic screwdriver on it.

The room lit up.

"There you go." He said, walking back to Lily's side.

"What's that device?" Adelaide demanded.

"Screwdriver." He replied, holding it up.

"Are you the Doctor, or the janitor?" she asked.

"I don't know, sounds like me." He said, smiling at Lily.

"Maintenance man of the universe." She agreed, smiling back.

"You stay with me." Adelaide told them. "Don't step out of my sight. Tarak, go to external door south. Make sure it's intact."

"Yes, ma'am." He replied, walking off.

"Quite an achievement." The Doctor said, walking over to the flowers. "First flower on Mars in 10,000 years. And you're growing veg!"

"It's that lot." Adelaide said dismissively. "They're already planning Christmas dinner. Last year it was dehydrated protein. This year…the real thing."

"Still, fair enough." The Doctor replied. "Christmas."

"If you must." Adelaide said.

She exchanged a smile with them.

The Doctor and Lily looked around when they heard a bird tweet.

"You've got birds!" Lily marveled, looking at the robin.

"Part of the project." Adelaide told her. "Keep the insect population down."

"Good sign." The Doctor said.

"In what way?" she asked.

"They're still alive." Lily explained.

"Captain, good news." Yuri called over the comms. "It's Maggie. She's awake. She's back with us. Hey, how are you soldier? Just take it easy. Can you remember what happened?"

"I was just…working." They heard her say. "Then I woke-woke up here."

"What about Andy?" Adelaide called. "We can't fine him. Is he all right?"

"I don't know." Maggie replied. "I just…"

"If you remember anything, let me know straight away." Adelaide told her.

"Yuri, does she know how she ended up in the tunnel?" Ed called from the control room.

"And keep the comms clear!" Adelaide ordered. "Everything goes through me. Got that?"

They continued on searching.

Suddenly, Yuri came back over the comms.

"This is sick bay." He called. "We have a situation! Maggie's condition has-I don't know! I don't know what it is! It's-it's water, just-pouring out!"

"Yuri, calm down." Adelaide ordered. "Just tell me what's happened to her."

"The skin is…sort of broken around the mouth." He replied. "And she's exuding water-like she's drowning!"

"Tarak, this area's unsafe, we're going back." Adelaide called.

There was no answer.

"Tarak!" she shouted. "Tarak!"

"Where was he?" the Doctor asked urgently.

They ran back through the bio-dome.

"Yuri, keep her contained." Ed called. "Seal the door at maximum. I'm on my way!"

Adelaide led the Doctor and Lily through the dome at a run, but she suddenly stopped, causing the Doctor and Lily to backtrack.

They saw Andy standing as Tarak kneeled in front of him, his hand pressed to the other man's forehead.

The Doctor shined a light on them and they saw that Tarak was twitching and pouring water.

"Andy?" Lily called hesitantly. "Just leave him alone."

"Step away from him officer, that's an order." Adelaide said, pulling out her gun. "As the captain of this group, I order you-don't!"

"I can help, I promise!" Lily continued at the same time, as the Doctor put a hand on Adelaide to stop her from shooting. "We can help! Just leave that man alone. Andy, please…just take your hand away from him and listen to me."

They fell silent as Andy turned towards them, his eyes wide. They were completely white and his mouth was cracked and broken. He sprayed a fine mist of water from his mouth before lifting his hand off Tarak, who slumped back.

"There now, that's better, hmm?" the Doctor said, looking between Andy and Adelaide. "So, you must be Andy. Hello."

Tarak straightened and turned towards them. His mouth and eyes now looked like Andy's.

"We've got to go." The Doctor whispered.

They ran and Andy and Tarak chased them. Finally they reached the air lock and opened it.

"Set the seal to maximum!" the Doctor shouted.

Just as the Doctor pulled the door shut, Andy raised his arm and shot a stream of water at the sealed door.

Lily pulled the Doctor back, both of them almost colliding with Adelaide.

They stared as Andy approached the door and slammed his face against the widow.

"Captain, we need you back here." Steffi called over comms.

"Just tell me that Maggie is contained." Adelaide told her. "Can you confirm it?"

"Confirmed." Ed replied. "She's locked in."

"Keep surveillance 'till I get back." Adelaide ordered. "And close down all water supplies. All pipes and outlets. Don't consume anything. Have you got that-everyone? That's an order. Don't drink the water. Don't even touch it. Not one drop."

Lily and the Doctor were watching Andy, who was staring through the window as if trying to find a way inside.

"Can you talk?" the Doctor asked. "Human beings are sixty percent water, which makes them the perfect host."

"What for?" Adelaide demanded.

"Don't know." Lily replied. "And we never will. Doctor, we need to leave. Now. Whatever's started here, we can't see it to the end. We can't."

Andy slammed himself against the door and the Doctor and Lily jumped back. Tarak joined him and they began spraying water against the seal.

"This thing's airtight, yeah?" the Doctor asked.

"And therefore watertight." Adelaide confirmed.

"Depends how clever the water is." Lily said darkly.

The lock suddenly sparked.

"It's fusing the system." Adelaide told them.

"Abandon ship!" the Doctor declared.

They dashed to the door and ran into the hallway. Andy and Tarak managed to fuse the lock and they continued chasing them.

The Doctor suddenly stopped beside Gadget and pulled out the sonic screwdriver.

"Doctor, we haven't got time!" Adelaide told him.

"Lily!" he called.

"Got it." She replied.

She knelt down and slammed her hand down on the ground. A gold barrier rose up spanning the width of the hallway.

"They can run faster than us." The Doctor told Adelaide as she stared at Lily. "We need a lift."

"Gadget-gadget."

"Get on behind me." The Doctor ordered, standing on the robot.

"That thing goes at two miles an hour!" Adelaide protested.

"Not anymore." He replied, looking at her. "Trust me."

She got up behind him and he looked at Lily.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked.

"Please." She said dismissively. "I'll beat you there."

He nodded and turned back, pointing the sonic screwdriver.

"Ready gadget?" he asked.

"Gadget-gadget."

Flames poured out of the back of the robot as it shot down the hallway. Tarak and Andy ran up to the barrier and glared at Lily. She smiled and gave a little wave before disappearing in a flash of gold, the shield dropping the moment she was gone.

They ran after the robot, but they were too far gone.

The Doctor and Adelaide saw a bright flash at the end of the tunnel.

"The central dome airlocks have got Hardinger seals." Adelaide told the Doctor when they reached Lily standing next to the door. "There's no way they can get in."

She quickly unlocked the door and the Doctor held it open for Gadget.

"Come on, come on!" he told it.

"Gadget-gadget."

"Come on, come on, come on." He repeated.

Gadget began clumsily moving towards the door.

"I thought you hated robots!" Adelaide shouted at him.

"I do!" he replied.

Gadget slid into the sealed room right ahead of Andy and Tarak. The Doctor slammed the door shut and Lily moved towards it.

"No." he told her, stopping her.

"Are you kidding me?" she demanded. "We're about to die and you're preventing me from protecting us!"

"We're safe." Adelaide said. "It's hermetically sealed; they can't get in."

"See?" the Doctor shot back at Lily. "I don't want you risking it!"

"You're insane!" she shouted at him, throwing up her hands. "Water is patient. Water just waits. It wears down the cliff tops, the mountains, the whole of the world. Water always wins."

"Look, you would have to stay here to keep the barrier up." The Doctor told her, taking her hands in his and making her look at him. "I won't leave you here. So, come on."

"The bio-dome is out of bounds." Adelaide called as he led them out of the room. "Andy and Tarak are infected. Repeat, infected. Make no contact. And if they make the slightest move, tell me. I'm going to the medical dome."

A/N: Second chapter down. So, JustAPoisonApple gets a cookie this time for being the only one to comment on yesterday's chapter. The rest of you, NO SOUP FOR YOU!

Thank you,  
Abbey


	15. The Waters of Mars: White

Disclaimer: Give me the Doctor or the TARDIS gets it.

Ch. 15:

"Blimey, it's a distance." The Doctor said as they walked down the hallway. "You could do with bikes in this place."

"Every pound in weight equals three tons of fuel." Adelaide told him.

"Yeah, I know, but…bikes!" the Doctor replied.

Adelaide and Lily just stared at him.

They finally made it to the medical dome and found Yuri and Ed watching Maggie.

"Has that door got a Hardinger seal?" Adelaide asked.

"No, just basic." Ed replied.

"Well, the moment she heads for the door, we evacuate, got that?" she told him.

He turned to the monitor.

"Pulse is low." He told them. "Electrical activity in the brain seems to be going haywire."

"Can she talk?" Adelaide asked.

"I don't know." Yuri replied. "She was talking before we noted the change, but…"

"Maggie, can you hear me?" Adelaide asked. "Do you know who I am?"

Maggie turned and looked at the Doctor and Lily.

"Your commanding officer, Captain Adelaide Brooke." She continued. "Can you tell me what happened?"

The Doctor began talking in a alien language and Maggie's eyes got even wider.

"What language is that?" Ed asked.

"Ancient North Martian." Lily replied.

"Don't be ridiculous." Adelaide said.

"It's like she recognized it." Ed said.

"And her eyes are different." Lily pointed out as the Doctor studied the woman. "They're clear, like she's closer to human."

"Not close enough for me." Ed muttered.

"Where d'you get your water from?" the Doctor asked.

"The ice field." Adelaide replied. "That's why we chose the crater…we're on top of an underground glacier."

"Tons of water." The Doctor said, nodding. "Marvelous."

"But every single drop is filtered." Yuri protested. "It's clean. It's safe."

"Does that look safe to you?" Lily demanded, nodding to Maggie.

"If something was frozen down there…" Ed murmured. "A viral life form, held in the ice for all those years."

"Look at her mouth." The Doctor said. "It's all blackened, like some sort of fission. This thing, whatever it is, doesn't just hide in water, it creates water."

He turned back to Maggie.

"Tell me what you want." He ordered.

"She was looking at the screen-at Earth." Yuri said. "She wanted Earth. A world full of water."

"Captain, with me." Ed said suddenly.

They crossed to the other side of the room and the Doctor and Lily moved to attempted to hear. Ed looked at them suspiciously before speaking.

"I'm sorry, but it's an unknown infection and it's spreading." He told Adelaide. "That demands an action procedure one."

"You think I don't know that?" she demanded.

"I think you need reminding." He told her coldly.

Adelaide nodded.

"Yeah." She said tiredly.

"Well, at least I'm good for something." Ed said.

"Now and again." She replied lightly.

"That's almost a compliment." He said with a half smile. "Things must be serious."

They both smiled.

"Sorry, sorry." The Doctor said, walking over. "Action one, that means evacuation, yeah?"

"We're going home." Adelaide said, nodding, before raising her voice. "This is Captain Brooke. I am declaring action one. Repeat, all crew members this is action one with immediate effect."

An alarm began to sound.

"Evacuate the base." She ordered. "Steffi, what's your estimate on shuttle viability?"

"A nine month flight-it'll take us at least three hours to load up everything we need." Steffi reported.

"You've got twenty minutes." Adelaide told her. "And give me a report on Andy and Tarak."

"Still in the bio-dome tunnel." Steffi told her. "They're just standing there, like they're waiting."

"Keep an eye on them." Adelaide ordered. "And make that twenty minutes, fifteen."

The Doctor and Lily were standing near the isolation room.

_Doctor, if they go back and they're infected…_ Lily said.

_I know. _He told her.

"Ed, fire up the shuttle." Adelaide ordered. "Go straight to ignition status."

"Doing it now!" he told her.

"What about Maggie?" Yuri asked.

"She stays behind." Adelaide replied. "We've got no way to contain her on board. Close this place down. I want the power directed to the shuttle."

"Of course, the only problem is…" the Doctor said.

"Thank you, Doctor, Phoenix." Adelaide told them. "Your space suits will be returned and good luck to you."

"The problem is, this thing is clever." The Doctor told her. "It didn't infect the birds or the insects in the bio-dome. It chose the humans. You were chosen."

"And I told you." Lily added. "Water can wait. Tarak changed straight away, but when Maggie was infected, it stayed inside her."

"No doubt so it could infiltrate the central dome." The Doctor said. "Which means…"

"Any one of us could already be infected." Adelaide finished. "We've all been drinking the same water."

"And if you take that back to Earth…" the Doctor said. "One drop. Just one drop."

"But…we're only presuming infection." Adelaide said desperately. "If we can find out how this thing got through-when it got through…"

She moved away from them.

"Yuri, continue with action one." She ordered. "I'm going to inspect the ice field."

She moved off and Lily and the Doctor stayed put.

"Right, we should leave." The Doctor said. "Finally, we should leave. Yuri, me old mate, no point us seeing the ice field. No point at all. No."

He leaned against the cupboard and Lily rubbed the bridge of her nose. She sighed when he began banging his head on the cupboard.

"Adelaide!" she yelled.

They both ran out of the room, following the other woman. They moved to either side of her when they caught up.

"All I'm saying is…bikes!" the Doctor said lightly. "Little fold-away bikes. Don't weigh a thing."

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, and Adelaide walked across an open space and wound up looking down at a huge sheet of ice.

"I heard the legends of Mars from long ago when I was a child." Lily said. "The fine and noble race that built an empire out of snow. The ice warriors."

"I haven't got time for stories." Adelaide said.

"Perhaps they found something down there." The Doctor said. "Used their might and their wisdom to freeze it."

"Doctor, we need to find any sort of change in the water process." Adelaide said. "We've got to date the infection."

The Doctor moved to the computer while Lily grasped the railing.

"Access denied." The computer proclaimed, but the Doctor kept typing.

Adelaide looked between them.

"You two don't look like cowards." She said. "But all you've wanted to do is leave. You know so much about us."

"Well, you're famous." The Doctor replied casually.

"It's like you know more." Adelaide said warily.

"This moment , the precise moment in time," the Doctor said slowly, "it's like-I mean, it's only theory, what do I know, but, I think certain moments in time are fixed. Tiny, precious moments. Anything else is in flux. Anything can happen. But those certain moments, they have to stand. This base on Mars, with you, Adelaide Brooke-this is one vital moment. What happens here must always happen."

"Which is what?" Adelaide asked.

"I don't know." The Doctor replied, shaking his head.

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"I think something wonderful happens." He told her. "Something that started fifty years ago…isn't that right?"

"I've never told anyone that." Adelaide said softly.

"You told your daughter." Lily spoke up. "And maybe, one day, she tells the story to her daughter. Of the day the Earth was stolen and moved across the Universe. And you…"

Adelaide stared at them. She finally began to speak.

"I saw the Daleks." She told them. "We looked up. The sky had changed. Everyone was running and screaming. And my father took hold of me and took me to my room. He told me to stay, that he had to go out and look for my mother. But he promised he would come back. I never saw him again. Nor my mother. They were never found. But out on the streets, there was panic and burning. I went to the window…And there, in the sky, I saw it. And it saw me. It stared at me. It looked right into me. And then…It simply went away. I knew, that night, I knew I would follow it."

"But not for revenge?" the Doctor asked.

"What would be the point of that?" she asked.

"That's what makes you remarkable." He told her, smiling. "And that's how you create history."

"Doctor." Lily said sharply.

"What d'you mean?" Adelaide demanded.

"Imagine it, Adelaide." The Doctor said, ignoring Lily. "If you began a journey that takes the human race all the way out to the stars. It begins with you. And then your granddaughter-you inspire her! So that, in thirty years, Susie Fontana Brooke is the pilot of the first light speed ship to Proxima Centauri. And then everywhere, with her children and her children's children forging away to the Dragon Star, the Celestial Belt of the Winter Queen, the Map of the Water Snake Wormholes. One day a Brooke will even fall in love with a Tan-"

"That's enough." Lily interrupted. "You know the law. You've gone far enough."

"Who are you?" Adelaide demanded of them. "Why are you telling me this? Doctor? Phoenix? Why tell me?"

The Doctor stared at Lily until she finally looked away and he looked down.

"As consolation." He whispered.

The computer sprang to life and brought up a profile.

"Andy Stone." Adelaide read. "He logged on yesterday."

A video feed began to play.

"Maintenance log, 21:20, November 20, 2059." Andy said. "Number three water filter's bust. And guess what. The spares they sent don't fit. What a surprise. Over and out."

The video shut off.

"A filter!" the Doctor said. "One tiny filter and then the flood!"

"But that means the infection arrived today and the water's only cycled out of the bio-dome after a week." Adelaide told them. "The rest of us can't be infected. We can leave!"

She turned on her comm.

"Ed, we're clean." She called. "How're we doing?"

"Shuttle's active, stage one." He told her.

The Doctor, Lily, and Adelaide quickly ran back towards the control room.

"You were right, Doctor." Adelaide said.

"What about?" he asked.

"Bikes!" she said, smiling.

He chuckled.

They made it back to the control room and Adelaide handed them their suits as everyone packed.

"Now get to your ship." She told them. "I'm saving my people, you save yourselves. I know what this moment is…it's the moment we escape. Now get out!"

She moved away and the two Time Lords watched her, pain in both their faces. An alarm was getting louder, but none of the humans noticed, and the Time Lords didn't warn them.

The Doctor's eyes traveled to the ceiling and Lily tried to look anywhere but there.

Finally, Adelaide noticed the alarm.

"What the hell is that noise?" she said. "Mia, you lot, shut up!"

"It's the module sensors." Ed said. "Exterior Twelve. The cameras are down, but there's pressure on top of the module. Two signals, right above us."

"That means…." Steffi said, her eyes traveling up to the ceiling. "They're on the roof?"

"How did they get inside the dome?" Roman demanded.

"They used the maintenance shafts." Ed answered.

"The shaft's open and they haven't got spacesuits." Mia said, taking Yuri's hand.

"They breathe water." Ed said.

The Doctor and Lily simply stood there.

"They'll freeze." Steffi said.

"They've got that internal fission." Yuri said.

"We're safe." Mia said. "They can't get through, can they?"

There was a creaking sound and no one spoke.

"Can they?" she repeated.

"This place is airtight." Roman said, shaking his head.

"Can they get through?" Steffi asked. "Ed? Can they get through?"

"I don't know." Ed replied. "The water itself is immotile, but it has some sort of persistence."

"Everyone, listen to me."Adelaide ordered. "That's ten feet of steel combination up there. We'll need all the protein packs or we're gonna starve. Now keep working. Roman, watch the ceiling. Ed, get to the shuttle. Fire it up."

"I can carry more than this lot can!" he protested.

"That's an order!" she shouted back.

"Captain!" he replied with a half grin.

The Doctor and Lily watched as they all ran around, but no one looked at them except for a glance from Adelaide.

"Doctor." Lily said softly, taking his hand. "Doctor, we need to go."

He nodded and turned. He never even looked back.

A/N: Third chapter done. This one may turn out to only be four chapters instead of five like the other two. And for all of you worried that Lily is going to follow the Doctor down the rabbit hole, remember that while she may not have particularly loved her life in the temple, she chose to stay while the Doctor chose to run. Time Lord laws mean a lot to her and she's not going to betray them as easily. But also keep in mind that by all rights, her powers should driver her insane, so she's already walking a fine line. And, if the Master is any indication, insanity seems to run in her family. So this is my long winded way of saying, keep reading and find out. Also, review!

Abbey


	16. The Waters of Mars: Gold

Disclaimer: I will give you back the TARDIS the moment Doctor Who is mine. Until then, she is mine. No, I hadn't thought of the fact that by owning Doctor Who, the TARDIS will still be mine. What are you accusing me of?

Ch. 16:

The Doctor and Lily quickly got into their spacesuits and walked into the airlock. The Doctor pressed the door control.

"Access denied." The Computer said. "Access denied."

"Tell me what happens." Adelaide called over the comms.

"We don't know." Lily told her.

"Yes, you do." Adelaide replied. "Now tell me."

"Adelaide, go be with the others." Lily said.

"Tell me!" Adelaide demanded angrily.

They remained silent.

"I could ramp up the pressure in that airlock and crush you." Adelaide told them.

"And it would do nothing." Lily told her. "You've seen what I can do. But you know that and you wouldn't do it anyway."

"You could have shot Andy Stone, but you didn't." the Doctor told her. "I loved you for that. Imagine…"

There was a pause and the Doctor looked at Lily. She sighed and looked away.

"Imagine you knew something." He said. "Imagine you found yourself somewhere...I don't know, Pompeii! Imagine you were in Pompeii…"

"What the hell's that got to do with it?" Adelaide demanded.

"And you try to save them," he continued, " but in doing so, you make it happen."

"Anything we do just makes it happen." Lily told her.

The door behind Adelaide opened.

"Captain, we need you right now!" Steffi called.

She left again and Adelaide stayed put.

"I'm still here." she told them.

The Doctor took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes.

"Don't." Lily said sharply.

"You're taking action one." The Doctor said, turning to the camera and ignoring Lily. "There are four more standard action procedures, and action five is…"

"Detonation." Adelaide finished.

"The final option." The Doctor said. "The nuclear device at the heart of the central dome. Today, on the 21st of November, 2059, Captain Brooke activates that device, taking the base and all her crew members with her. No one ever knows why. But you were saving Earth. That's what inspires your granddaughter. She takes your people out into the galaxy because you die on Mars. You die today. She flies out there, like she's trying to meet you."

Adelaide stared at him in horror, tears in her eyes.

"I won't die." She whispered. "I will not!"

"But your death creates the future." Lily told her, resigned.

"Help me." Adelaide begged.

They remained silent.

"Why won't you help me, if you know all this, why can't you change it?" she demanded.

"We can't." Lily told her. "Adelaide, we're aware. We can't."

"Why can't you find a way?" she demanded, speaking over Lily. "Tell me. I don't know."

"I'm sorry, but we can't!" Lily told her. "Sometimes we can. Sometimes we do. Most times we can save someone or anyone. But not you. You've wondered all your life why that Dalek spared you. I think it knew! Your death is fixed in time. Forever. And that's right."

"You die, too?" Adelaide asked.

"No." the Doctor replied.

"What's gonna save you?" she demanded.

"Captain Adelaide Brooke." He replied.

She stared at them, angry while realizing that he was right. She finally pushed the release button.

"Damn you." She said softly.

"We already are." Lily whispered.

"Water!" Roman yelled. "We've got water!"

"Get back!" Mia yelled. "Get away! Get back! Captain! Don't touch it! Get away! Don't let it touch you!"

Adelaide ran out of the room, and the Doctor and Lily watched and listened through the still open comms.

"Everyone, we're abandoning this section." Adelaide ordered. "Get to the shuttle. Yuri, lead the way. Section B corridor now!"

Yuri opened the door, only to find water pouring down.

"Close it!" Adelaide yelled.

"Yuri!" Steffi said. "Lock the door behind you! Did it touch you? Yuri! Did the water touch you?"

"I'm clean!" he told them. "I'm dry."

"Everyone, section B is out!" Adelaide said. "Listen to me, take every pack that you can. We'll go around by Section F."

"Transferring oxygen station to Section F." Steffi said. "Mia, you take the red-line stocks."

"And hurry up!" Adelaide ordered.

Suddenly one of the panels in the ceiling gave way and a huge wall of water fell, blocking Steffi from the rest of the crew.

"Steffi, komm!" Yuri yelled.

"Steffi, get back!" Mia called.

"Get back!" Adelaide ordered.

The Doctor closed his eyes and Lily stood perfectly still, fighting to stay put.

The water pushed Steffi into the small communications room.

"Shut the door!" Roman yelled. "Close the door!"

Steffi closed the door, trapping herself in the room.

"Steffi, we'll come and get you, okay?" Adelaide told her.

"We'll come get you!" Roman assured her. "Steffi!"

"Captain!" Steffi yelled, crying.

"We'll open the exit panel, we'll get you out from the back!" Adelaide told her.

"Captain, it's inside!" Steffi screamed.

"Steffi!" Adelaide yelled.

"Steffi!" Mia cried. "Get back!"

"Steffi, I'm coming!" Adelaide told her. "Hold on!"

The Doctor opened the external door and walked out, Lily stumbling behind him, tears pouring down her face. They could still hear everything.

"The exit panel's fused, Captain." Roman yelled. "We can't open it."

Steffi screamed.

"We can't get through!" Yuri yelled.

"Don't, please!" Steffi screamed. "I can't move."

The Doctor and Lily kept walking away.

"Lisette Ehrlich: Hallo, Mutti! Hallo, Mars!"

Steffi had activated the video of her daughter.

"Ulrike, sag' hallo. Pappi sagt er fährt uns mit über das Wochenende…"

Steffi broke down in tears as the water began to soak her, her sobs heard over her daughter's voice.

"Steffi!" Adelaide yelled. "Can you hear me?"

"Oh, my God!" Mia said.

The Doctor and Lily continued to walk away.

"Out, get out!" Adelaide ordered. "Ed, we're going round the long way. How're we doing?"

"All systems are live 100%, not a single delay." He told her. "Don't you worry, Captain, we are gonna fly!"

The Doctor and Lily walked further from Bowie Base One as the jets of the shuttle fired up.

"We need air in Section F right now, all of you!" Adelaide ordered.

"Locking chamber three." Yuri said. "Locking chamber four."

"Gate five is open!" Roman reported. "Gate six is open!"

"Roman, come on, with me!" Adelaide ordered.

"You better go." He replied.

"Don't just stand there, move!" Adelaide told him.

"You really better go without me." He said. "I'm sorry, Captain. One drop."

The Doctor closed his eyes in pain and Lily fell to her knees as they heard Roman begin to convulse.

"Roman!" Mia shouted. "Roman!"

The Doctor pulled Lily to her feet and made her keep walking.

"Leave him!" Yuri shouted. "Come on!"

"We can't just leave him!" Mia protested.

"Come on!" Yuri yelled.

"Let me go!" she shouted. "Roman!"

"I'm so sorry." He told her.

"Captain, the shuttle is down." Ed called, his voice full of pain.

"What the hell do you mean?" Adelaide demanded.

"Compromised." He replied. "It was Maggie."

"Get out of there!" Adelaide ordered.

"Too late." He grunted. "They want this ship to get to Earth. Got no choice. Hated it, Adelaide! Oh, this bloody job! Never gave me a chance. You never could forgive me."

There was a pause.

"See you later." He said, straining.

They base was rocked by the explosion.

The Doctor and Lily were thrown to the ground by the force of the blast.

"We're losing oxygen!" Yuri yelled. "The hull is broken!"

The Doctor and Lily lay on the ground, surrounded by the flaming debris of the shuttle.

…_We're not just Time Lords; we're the last of the Time Lords…_

…_It'll never come back. Not now…_

…_Time Lord, TARDIS, same old life. Last of the Time Lords…_

…_When they died, took it all with them. When the walls of reality closed, the worlds were sealed…_

…_Gone forever…_

…_Time Lords kept their eye on everything…_

…_Only, it's gone now, all of it…_

…_But they died, the Time Lords. All of them, they died…_

…_We're the last of the Time Lords…_

He looked at Lily and she stared back at him in horror.

"I can't." she whispered. "I won't."

"Lily…" he said softly.

"I can't stop you." She told him, tears pouring down her cheeks. "But I won't help you."

He reached out to her, but she pulled away. He closed his fist and stood up.

She wrapped her arms around her middle.

He walked away.

She ripped off her helmet, a gold barrier appearing around her, and broke down in sobs.

He walked through airlock.

She disappeared in a flash of gold.

The crew stared as he walked through the door, bathed in light.

"Mia, take this sealant, fix that leak!" he ordered, throwing a tube at her. "Yuri, open emergency oxygen."

He offered a hand to Adelaide.

"Adelaide, don't just sit there!" he told her.

As he pulled her to her feet, Mia fixed the leak and the room became quieter.

"That's better!" he said. "The dome's still got integrity. Ten feet of steel combination, made in Liverpool, magnificent workmanship!"

"It can't be stopped!" Adelaide told him. "Don't die with us!"

"No, 'cause someone told me just recently, they said I was going to die." He told her, his voice carrying an insane edge. "They said 'he will knock four times'. And I think I know what that means, and it doesn't mean right here, right now, 'cause I don't hear anyone knocking, do you?"

There was a loud knock on the door.

The Doctor took a step back, clearly frightened as a second knock sounded and then a third.

There was a flash of gold and Lily stood by the door, no longer in her spacesuit.

"Three knocks is all you get!" she said viciously.

She slammed her hand down on the door and sent a current through it, electrocuting Andy before he could knock again.

"Water and electricity-bad mix." She said smugly.

The Doctor stared at her, but she refused to look at him.

"I thought you weren't going to help." He told her.

"I won't let you die just because you've decided to order the universe to your own design." She shot back.

He looked away and took a deep breath.

"Now then, what else have we got?" he asked.

"But there's no way to fight them!" Adelaide told him.

"Heat!" he told her. "They use water-we can use heat! Works against the ice warriors, works against the Flood. Ramp up the environment controls and steam them!"

"But you said we die!" Adelaide told him.

The room suddenly jolted and everyone nearly lost their footing.

"For the future." She told him. "For the human race!"

"Yes, but there are laws." He told her. "There are laws of time. Once upon a time there were people in charge of those laws, but they died. They all died." His voice became hysterical. "Do you know who that leaves? ME! It's taken me all these years to realize the laws of time are mine! AND THEY WILL OBEY ME!"

"You're wrong." Lily told him. "There's me. I could stop you."

"Then do it." He told her harshly. "Either do it, or stay out of my way."

She stared at him, tears falling down her face.

"Fine." She whispered.

She disappeared again.

A/N: I know it's short, but the OCD part of my soul weeps at the thought of this one having only four chapters when the others have five. What can I say, I'm neurotic. I hope you liked it and decide to tell me about it.

Abbey


	17. The Waters of Mars: Black

Disclaimer: I haven't been sued yet and I take that as a good sign.

Ch. 17:

An explosion threw the Doctor to the floor.

Adelaide dashed to the computer.

"Environment controls are down." She told him. "Sorry, Doctor, it looks like history's got other ideas!"

"I'm not beaten yet." He told her, his voice desperate. "I'm not beaten yet. I'll go outside! Thermic heat regulator!"

He picked up his helmet to find it broken and pieces missing. He threw it away in fury.

"Not beaten, not beaten!" he repeated. "You've got space suits. In the next section!"

He ducked into the hallway to find water pouring down. He ran back.

"We're not just fighting the Flood." He said, his voice crazed and furious. "We're fighting time itself, and I'm gonna win!"

There was a rumble and Yuri ran to the computer.

"Something is happening to the glacier!" he told them.

"Think, think, think, think." The Doctor said, rubbing his head. "What have we got? Not enough oxygen." He opened a container. "Protein packs-useless! Glacier, glacier mints, minty, monty, molto bene, bonny, bish bash-aargh! Look, look, look at the room! Section H-what's in Section H?"

No one answered.

"Anyone?" he yelled.

"Nothing-it is just storage!" Yuri told him.

"Storing what?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know-the weather spikes, the robot, atom clamps-" Yuri told him.

"Atom clamps?" the Doctor said, ripping open the cupboard. "Atom clamps! Who needs atom clamps! I have a funny robot!"

He tore off the door to reveal Gadget.

"Gadget-gadget."

The Doctor took out his TARDIS key and looked at it.

_Are you going to fight me?_ He asked Lily.

_Please._ She begged desperately. _Please stop this._

_Are you going to fight me? _He repeated.

She was silent and he took it as a negative.

The Doctor leaned down and fixed the key to Gadget's hand.

"You take that-good boy!" he told it.

"Gadget-gadget."

He put on the auto gloves and prepared to activate Gadget even as the room continued to crumble.

"Off we go then!" he said.

"Implementing Captain's protocol." The computer announced.

"Adelaide!" the Doctor yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Action five?" Mia gasped.

"If I have to fight you as well, then I will!" the Doctor told her.

"Nuclear device now active and primed." The computer announced.

Mia and Yuri looked around, terrified as the computer began to count down from 100. The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver at Gadget's computer.

"Blast off!" he yelled.

Fire burst from Gadget's feet.

"Faster!" the Doctor called.

Gadget flew across the ground, leaving a short trail of fire and then one of dust.

Explosions continued to rock the room, throwing Adelaide to the ground.

"Nuclear device entering final process." The computer said.

Yuri used an extinguisher to put out a fire as the Doctor used the gloves to open the TARDIS.

"And we're in!" the Doctor yelled triumphant.

Adelaide shook her head sadly as he gave her a manic grin.

"Gadget-gadget."

The Doctor saw Lily curled up on the jumpseat, crying, through Gadget's camera and paused for a moment.

But then he pushed on.

He started up the TARDIS remotely.

The Doctor stepped forward proudly as the TARDIS materialized in the room.

_Eight…_

_Seven…_

_Six…_

_Five…_

_Four…_

_Three…_

_Two…_

_One…_

Zero.

Bowie Base One exploded.

* * *

The TARDIS materialized on a snow covered street.

The Doctor, dressed in his brown coat, stepped out.

He walked down the street before turning back to the TARDIS.

Adelaide walked out first, followed by a terrified Mia. Finally, Yuri staggered out and Lily walked out.

"Isn't anyone going to thank me?" The Doctor asked.

Gadget rolled down the street a little ways before shutting down.

"He's lost his signal." The Doctor said. "Doesn't know where he is."

"That's my house." Adelaide said.

"Don't you get it?" the Doctor asked, frustrated. "This the 21st of November, 2059. Same day-on Earth. And it's snowing! I love snow."

"What is that thing?" Mia demanded, pointing at the TARDIS. "It's…bigger…I mean…bigger on the inside."

She stared at the Doctor and Lily.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded.

Lily stepped towards her, but Mia took off running.

Yuri took a step forward before looking back at Adelaide.

"Look after her." She ordered him.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied.

He took off after her.

The Doctor looked at Adelaide, waiting.

"You saved us?" she asked him.

He strutted towards her.

"Just think though." He said, grinning. "Your daughter and your daughter's daughter-you can see them again. Family reunion."

"But I'm supposed to be dead." She told him.

"Not anymore." He said, shaking his head, still smiling.

"But…Susie, my granddaughter…" Adelaide said slowly. "The person she's supposed to become might never exist now."

"Nah." The Doctor said. "Captain Adelaide can inspire her face to face. Different details, but the story's the same."

"You can't know that!" she shot back. "And if my family changes…the whole of history could change!"

The Doctor lost his smirk.

"The future of the human race." She continued. "No one should have that much power!"

"Tough." He told her grimly.

Adelaide turned to Lily.

"And what about you, Phoenix?" she demanded. "You knew this was wrong. You knew from the beginning, and you didn't stop him! Why?"

"I love him." Lily whispered. "I can't fight him."

Adelaide stared at them.

"You should have left us there." She told them.

"Adelaide, I've done this sort of thing before." The Doctor told her. "In small waves, saved some little people. But never someone as important as you. Ooh, I'm good."

"_Little_ people?" Adelaide demanded. "What, like Mia and Yuri? Who decides they're so unimportant? You?"

"For a long time now, I thought I was just a survivor, but I'm not." He told her angrily. "That's who I am. Time Lord Victorious."

Lily stifled a sob.

"And there's no one to stop you." Adelaide said, taking a step back.

"No." the Doctor told her.

"This is wrong, Doctor." She told him. "I don't care who you are. The Time Lord Victorious is wrong."

"That's for me to decide." He told her coldly. "Now, you'd better get home. Oh, it's all locked up. You've been away. Still, that's easy."

He pointed the sonic screwdriver at her door, his face grim, and the door opened.

"All yours." He told her.

"Is there nothing you can't do?" she asked as she walked past him.

She walked up to the door and touched it before turning to look at the Doctor. She watched him turn back to Lily before walking in.

"Well, where to next?" he asked Lily brightly.

_Crack_

He staggered at the force of her slap.

"You bastard." She snarled, breathing heavily. "I betrayed everything for you! Everything I believed in, everything I devoted my life to! I was a priestess of the Temple! It was my job to stop people from doing exactly what you just did. And I didn't because I loved you! I let my feelings for you cloud my judgment, and now history is damaged!"

She took a deep breath, but kept going before he could interrupt.

"Time Lord Victorious." She sneered. "Shall we all bow down to our new lord and master? I'll tell you this, Doctor, I never looked to find my brother in my mate!"

He recoiled from her.

They both spun to face Adelaide's house when they heard the unmistakable sound of her gun.

They both felt history snap back into place and the Doctor fell to the ground.

"You did this." Lily whispered.

He struggled to breath as the full realization of what he had done hit him.

"I've gone too far." He whispered.

Lily's face lost the mask of anger as she fell to her knees next to him.

"Oh, god, Lily, what have I done?" he asked, tears falling down his face as he looked up at her.

She hesitantly reached out to touch his face and he grabbed her and pulled her to him, burying his face in her shoulder as his body was wracked with sobs.

"Shh." She told him, rubbing his back. "I've got you."

Suddenly, he felt her stiffen and pulled back to look at her. She was staring in horror at something behind him.

He turned to find Ood Sigma standing beneath a lamppost.

"Is this it?" he asked him. "My death?"

A gold barrier sprung up, separating Ood Sigma from Lily and the Doctor.

Ood Sigma merely moved his head, saying nothing.

"Is it time?" the Doctor shouted.

Ood Sigma vanished.

The Doctor turned back to Lily, both of them scared.

"What do we do?" she whispered.

He quickly got to his feet, pulling her up with him, and ran to the TARDIS, unlocking it quickly. He pulled her into the TARDIS and took one last look over his shoulder before following her in.

Lily and The Doctor stood staring at the controls, when the Cloister Bell began to ring.

"No!" the Doctor said, determined.

They both ran to the controls and the TARDIS took off.

A/N: That's it for The Waters of Mars. Tell me what you thought.

Abbey


	18. Running

Disclaimer: If I give up the Doctor, I will die. You don't want that on your conscience, now do you?

Ch. 18:

The Doctor and Lily had been running for a week now. Running from the Cloister Bell, the Ood…what the Doctor had done.

"Where to next?" the Doctor asked, running around the console.

"Hmm, how 'bout The Crystal Sphere?" Lily asked.

"Nah." The Doctor said.

"Ooo, let's go to Atlantis." Lily suggested. "I've always wanted to meet the Ancients."

"Nope." The Doctor said.

"Well what do you want to do?" she asked him, sighing.

"I want to get married." He told her.

She sat there in shock, her mouth going up and down.

He came over and sat her down on the jumpseat, sitting next to her.

"If I'm going to die," he told her, brushing her hair back, "I want to know that I proved just how much I love you in every way possible."

She pulled away and walked a little ways away and stood with her back towards him.

After a few minutes, he got worried.

"Lily?" he asked. "This would be a really great time to say something."

"No." she said softly.

"What?" he asked.

She turned and looked at him.

"No." she said. "I won't marry you."

"Why?" he asked.

She sighed and came back to him.

"I don't want you to marry me just because you think you're going to die." She told him.

"Lily, I am going to die." He told her.

"No." she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You'll regenerate. And when you do, ask me again, and I'll say yes."

"Are you sure?" he asked her. "Cause I know this great little place in New Las Vegas…"

"Doctor." Lily sighed.

He nodded.

"All right." He told her.

He sighed and got up.

"Atlantis?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded.

* * *

"I'm just saying," Lily told him as they got back in the TARDIS. "Maybe creating a new species using DNA from a blood sucking bug-maybe not the smartest idea. And then you had to go and help them."

"They were going to do it anyway." The Doctor defended himself. "I just made sure the results were sentient."

"Oh, yeah, cause that's such a great idea." She said, plopping down in the jumpseat.

"Where to next?" the Doctor asked.

* * *

And they kept running.

They ran from Earth to the end of the galaxies.

They ran from time to time and never looked back.

Finally even the greatest distraction couldn't keep them safe.

"We have to go." Lily whispered as she lay in his arms under the stars.

He held her closer and kissed the top of her head.

"I know." He replied.

A/N: I know this is extremely short, but I needed it before we went on to The End of Time.

Abbey


	19. The End of Time: Rebirth

Disclaimer: I'll do anything for the Doctor. No I won't do that. Okay, maybe.

**A/N: Okay so these last chapters will work just like an episode, which means that the parts that have nothing to do with Lily and the Doctor will be included.  
Truthfully, I just couldn't find another way to do it.  
On with the story.**

Ch. 19:

_It is said that in the final days of planet Earth, everyone had bad dreams. To the west of the north of that world, the human race did gather in celebration of a pagan rite to banish the cold and the dark._

_Each and every one of those people dreamt of the terrible things to come. But they forgot._

Wilf moved through a crowd of people doing last minute Christmas shopping.

_Because they must. They forgot their nightmares of fire and war and insanity. They forgot._

Wilf stopped and stretched as he watched a group of musicians.

_Except for one._

Wilf reached up to his forehead as images of a man laughing maniacally flashed through his mind. He shook his head as if to remove the images.

He waved at a few people before heading for a shop, but he stopped and turned towards a church that had the sounds of a children's choir drifting out of it.

As he entered, he removed his red beanie and stared up at the stained glass windows. He walked down the aisle, his eyes fixed on the image of a small blue box.

"They call it the legend of the blue box." A woman said behind him.

He turned to see an older woman in a white jacket with pearls around her neck and in her ears. Her hair was brown and graying slightly in the front.

"Oh, I've never been in here before." Wilf said quickly, nervous. "I'm not one for churches. Too cold."

"This was the site of a convent." She told him. "Back in the 1300's. It's said a demon fell from the sky. Then a man appeared, a man in a blue box. They called him the sainted physician. He smote the demon and then disappeared."

Wilf nodded, turning back to look at the window.

"There's a bit of a coincidence." He told her.

The woman shook her head.

"It's said there's no such thing as coincidence." She told him with a little laugh. "Who knows? Perhaps he's coming back."

"Oh, that would make my Christmas!" he told her.

He turned back to find the space behind him empty. He quickly turned around on the spot, looking for her, before coming back to the image of the TARDIS on the stained glass.

The laughing man flashed through his head again.

* * *

The TARDIS materialized in a snowy landscape and the Doctor stepped out in his brown suit and duster, with a bright pink lei around his neck, sunglass, and a straw cowboy hat.

Lily stepped out after him wearing a red and black plaid skirt, black boots, a black shirt with a red vest, and a black combat jacket. On her head she had a tiara and her hair now had a black stripe down the right side. She was also wearing sunglasses and had a fruity looking drink in her had that she was sipping.

"Ah, now sorry, there you are." The Doctor said lightly.

Standing in front of them was Ood Sigma.

"So, where were we?" the Doctor asked him. "We were summoned wasn't I? Ood in the snow calling us. Well, we didn't just exactly come straight here, had a bit of fun you know, travelled about, bit of this and that, got into trouble, you know us, but it WAS brilliant. We saw the phosphorsu carousel of the Mingelinga Stat, saved a planet for the red carnivorous Maw, named a galaxy Alison. Was gonna get married, but we decided to wait."

"Oh, don't forget taking Jack to meet Elizabeth." Lily interjected.

"Ah, yes, good queen Bess." The Doctor said fondly. "Let me tell you, her nickname is no longer…ahem, anyway…What do you want?"

"You should not have delayed." Sigma told them.

The Doctor nodded.

"Last time I was here, you said my song would be ending soon." The Doctor told him. "And I'm in no hurry for that."

"You will come with me." Sigma told them.

"Hold on, better lock the TARDIS." The Doctor replied.

He fished the key out of his pocket and pointed the remote on the ring back at the TARDIS. There was a beep, like a car alarm, and the top light flashed twice.

"You see, like a car." He told Sigma. "I-I locked it like a car. Like, it's funny. No? Little bit? Blimey, try to make an Ood laugh."

"Helps if it's funny." Lily told him, walking backwards and sipping her drink as she past him, following Sigma.

He sighed and followed them.

"So how old are you know Ood Sigma?" the Doctor asked as they walked across the snowy plane.

There was no response, but the Doctor and Lily stopped and stared at the sight in front of them. There was a huge city, carved out of rock and figures of Ood's walking around.

"That is beautiful." Lily marveled.

Sigma didn't reply.

"Oh, come on." She said, waving her glass at the sight. "That's magnificent! You've achieved all this in how long?"

"One hundred years." Sigma replied.

"Then we've got a problem." The Doctor said, worried. "'Cause this way too fast. Not just the city, I mean your ability to call me, reaching all the way back to the 21st century. Something's accelerating your species way beyond normal."

"And the mind of the Ood is troubled." Sigma replied.

"Why?" Lily asked. "What's happened?"

"Every night Doctor, Phoenix." He said. "Every night we have bad dreams."

He led them into a cave.

* * *

Inside was a circle of Ood and at a head was an Ood with a larger brain.

"Returning, returning, returning, it is slowly returning." The Ood said, waving his hand over a pot of incense. "Through the dark and the fire and the blood, always returning, returning to this world. It is returning. And he is returning. And they are returning. But too late. Too late. Far too late. He has come."

"Sit with the elder of the Ood and share the dreaming." Sigma said.

The Doctor, no longer wearing his lei, hat, and sunglasses, turned to Lily, whose drink was gone along with her tiara and sunglasses.

"Go on." She told him. "I'll keep watch through the bond."

He nodded and walked over to the circle. He sat down in an empty space, clearly uncomfortable.

"So." He said. "Right. Hello."

"You will join." The Ood said, their voices mingling. "You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join."

The Doctor glanced back at Lily.

"I guess you're going to join." She said, shrugging.

He turned back as the Ood set their hindbrains in their laps and joined hands. The Doctor hesitantly joined with the Ood on either side of him.

He suddenly saw a vision of a man laughing insanely and quickly dropped the Ood's hands as Lily fell to her knees.

"The Master." She whispered. "That's not possible."

"He comes to us." The Ood said. "Every night. I think all the peoples of the Universe dream of him now."

"That man is dead." The Doctor said desperately.

"There is yet more." The Ood told him. "Join us."

The Doctor took a deep breath, frowning, as he took the hands of those on either side of him.

"Events are taking shape." The Ood told them. "So many years ago and yet changing the now. There is a man."

They heard the Master's laughter.

"So scared." The Ood continued.

In their mind, Lily and the Doctor saw Wilf sitting at the table, looking worried.

"Wilfred!" the Doctor said anxiously. "Is he alright? What about Donna? Is she safe?"

Lily was already reaching for her phone.

"You should not have delayed." The Ood told them, making Lily freeze. "For the lines of convergence are being drawn across the Earth. Even now, the King is in his counting house."

A vision of a man and young woman posing for pictures.

"I don't know who they are." The Doctor told them.

"And there is another." The Ood continued. "The most lonely of all. Lost and forgotten."

A woman appeared in their minds. A familiar woman, wearing only her underwear, her hair drawn back from her face. Her breathing was labored.

"That's Lucy." Lily said. "Is she alright?"

"We see so much, but understand little." The Ood told her. "The woman in the cage, who is she?"

"She's…I guess sister in law doesn't mean much to you, does it?" Lily said. "She married the Master, my brother. He's a Time Lord, like us. And…well, it wasn't her fault. She was…"

She groaned in frustration.

The Doctor glanced back at her.

"I asked Jack to keep an eye on her." She told him. "She wouldn't see me, which is understandable. I walked into the room and she turned to the wall and refused to turn around. But I just don't know how to explain who she is to them."

The Doctor turned back to the Ood.

"We can show you." He told them.

He linked his hands more firmly with the Ood and showed them images of their last encounter with the Master.

"The Master took the name of Saxon." The Doctor told them. "He married a human, a woman called Lucy. And he corrupted her."

They showed the Ood a vision of the Master ordering the Toclafane to kill the American President and Lucy celebrating with him.

"She stood at his side while he conquered the Earth." Lily told them. "And he punished her for it."

She added a vision of the battered Lucy in the later part of the year.

"I reversed everything he'd done so it never happened." The Doctor told them. "But Lucy Saxon remembered."

They showed them a vision of Lucy shooting the Master.

"We held him in our arms." The Doctor and Lily said.

As they went further into the Ood mind, the more blurred the line between them became.

"We burned his body!" they said. "The Master is dead!"

"And yet you did not see." The Ood said.

"What's that?" they asked.

A vision of an older woman walking by Lily and the Doctor as they walked down the street. It was before Lily regenerated, but close to the end. The woman brushed up against Lily, excusing herself, and Lily never noticed her slipping the Master's ring off her finger.

"I didn't…" Lily breathed, pulling out of the meld slightly. "I regenerated and I never noticed it was missing. The only thing I kept was the Firepoint. I didn't even think about it."

"Part of him survived." The Doctor said, horrified.

He tried to stand.

"We have to go!" he said.

The hands holding him forced him back down.

"But something more is happening, Doctor, Phoenix." The Ood told them. "The Master is part of a greater design."

The Time Lords were both breathing heavily, both clearly terrified.

"Because a shadow is falling over creation." The Ood continued. "Something vast is stirring in the dark."

The Ood looked up and their eyes were red.

"The Ood have gained this power to see through time." They told them. "Because time is bleeding. Shapes of things once lost are moving through the veil. And these events from years ago threaten to destroy this future. And the present. And the past."

"What do you mean?" The Doctor demanded angrily.

"This is what we have seen, Doctor, Phoenix." The Ood told them. "The darkness heralds only one thing. The end of time itself."

In their minds, Lily and the Doctor saw the Master laughing. The Doctor quickly leapt up and grabbed Lily's hand, pulling her to her feet and dragging her out into the snow. They ran all the way back to the TARDIS.

They saw a key sliding into the lock of Lucy's cell and the older woman entered the cell, followed by several guards.

She nodded at Lucy, and the woman stood and moved slowly out of the cell.

The Doctor remotely unlocked the TARDIS and he and Lily threw themselves inside. They both pulled off their jackets and ran to the console, quickly putting the TARDIS in flight. The console protested, shooting out sparks.

* * *

Lucy was brought out into a large room and before a woman in a dark dress. The older woman went and stood by her side.

"Mrs. Saxon, let me introduce myself." The woman in the dress told her. "I'm your new governor. I'm afraid the previous Governor met with something of an accident-which took quite some time to arrange."

Lucy looked around, clearly frightened.

"Miss Trefusis, if you will prepare." The Governor ordered.

The older woman nodded and did something in the middle of the room before returning to her former position.

"You kept your silence well, Mrs. Saxon." The Governor told her. "Your trial was held in secret, with no jury. So no one knows who Harold Saxon was. Where he came from."

Lucy continued to look around, terrified.

"Why you killed him." The Governor continued. "Make her kneel."

Lucy seemed to break down in sobs as the guards grabbed her shoulders and shoved her to her knees.

"There are those of us who never lost faith." The Governor said coldly. "And in his wisdom, Harold Saxon prepared for this moment."

Miss Trefusis looked smug as she walked forward.

"He knew that he might die." The Governor continued. "And he made us ready. Tonight, Mrs. Saxon, he returns."

Miss Trefusis held out the green ring with Gallifreyan symbols and the Master's laugh could be heard.

Lucy gasped as the sight of the ring.

"That's not possible." She whispered. "His sister took it! I saw it on her finger!"

"We, shall we say, liberated it." The Governor said, smiling.

* * *

Wilf was staring out of the window as lighting crackles through the sky. The television was on for noise in the background, but he wasn't watching.

Consequently, he never saw a picture of the woman from the church flash across the screen.

* * *

Miss Trefusis put the ring into a dish and began pouring liquids into the dish.

"As it was written in the secret books of Saxon, these are the potions of life." The Governor proclaimed.

"Listen to me, whatever he told you, you've got no idea what you're doing!" Lucy told he desperately.

"Miss Trefusis, the catalyst." The Governor ordered.

"What are you doing?" Lucy demanded as the woman came closer. "Leave me alone! Don't!"

Miss Trefusis used Lucy's ponytail to pull her head back as the woman screamed.

"You were Saxon's wife!" the Governor said. "You bore his imprint!"

Miss Trefusis pressed a tissue to Lucy's mouth.

"That's all we needed." The Governor told her. "The final biometrical signature."

Lucy was released, and Miss Trefusis carried the tissue to the bowl containing the ring.

"You can't bring him back." Lucy said, panicking. "You can't!"

The tissue was dropped into the bowl and there was an explosion.

The Governor staggered backwards, frightened, as a beam of light shot from the bowl. Lighting flashed from outside into the bowl.

"I'm begging you." Lucy cried. "Stop this now before it's too late!"

"We give ourselves that Saxon might live!" The Governor cried.

Light began to glow from each of the people and they dropped to their knees, their hands spread as if in prayer. The light was drawn to the vortex that was now above the bowl.

"Can't you see-he lied to you!" Lucy shouted. "His name isn't even Harold Saxon!"

"And this was written also!" the Governor yelled ecstatically. "For his name is the Master!"

The light began to take the shape of a man.

"Never." The man said. "Never. Never. Never! Never dying! Never dying!"

Lucy stared at him as he glared at her.

"Never dying!" The Master told her. "Never dying!"

* * *

The Doctor and Lily froze, hearing the echo of the words, but they were distracted by and explosion from the console as they flew through the vortex.

* * *

The Master held his hands out to his wife.

"Oh, Lucy!" he called. "Sweet Lucy Saxon! My ever faithful. Did the widow's kiss bring me back to life?"

"You're killing them!" she shouted at him.

"Oh, let them die!" he replied. "They're just the first! The whole stupid stinking human disgrace can fall into the pit."

Lucy stared at him, horrified.

"Can't you hear it, Lucy?" he asked, holding his hands to his ears. "The noise! The drumbeat! Louder than ever before. The drums. The never-ending drums. Oh, I have missed them!"

Lucy got to her feet.

"But no one knew you better than I did." Lucy told him. "I knew you'd come back!"

The Master looked almost wary.

"And all this time your disciples have prepared!" She continued. "But so have we!"

She grabbed a bottle from the guard behind her.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"The secret books of Saxon spoke of the potions of life." She told him. "And I was never that bright."

The Master began to look afraid.

"But my family had contacts." She told him. "People who were clever enough to calculate the opposite!"

"Don't you dare!" he told her, terrified.

She removed the cork.

"I'm ordering you, Lucy!" he screamed in rage. "You will obey me!"

"Till death do us part, Harry!" she yelled.

"No!" he screamed.

She threw the contents of the bottle towards him and the room exploded.

A/N: So, here's the first chapter of The End of Time. I'm not going to bother with the part one and part two. To me, it's one massive sob fest. Speaking of which, do not be surprised if these take longer. I may need to take time to curl up in the fetal position and cry myself to sleep. And also eat large amounts of chocolate as I weep.  
Let me know what you thought of the chapter.

Abbey


	20. The End of Time: Looking Back

Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who would I be writing fanfiction? No? Then shut up.

Ch. 20:

The Doctor and Lily ran out of the TARDIS to find themselves in front of the burned out ruins of Broadfell prison surrounded by police tape.

"Lucy!" Lily yelled, starting forward.

The Doctor grabbed her around the middle and held her to him.

"Let me go!" she screamed. "Lucy!"

"Is there a problem here?" a officer asked, approaching the Doctor, who was holding a struggling Lily in his arms as she cried.

"My girlfriend's sister in law was being held in there." The Doctor said as he held Lily tighter.

_You've got to stop._ He told her quickly.

She stopped struggling, but the sobs continued to wrench themselves out of her throat.

"I'm sorry." The officer told them. "There were no survivors."

Lily's legs collapsed and the Doctor caught her before lowering her to the ground.

"I'm sorry." The officer repeated before leaving them.

Lily turned and buried her face in the Doctor's chest.

"I didn't know you cared so much about her." He said softly.

"After…in that year…after he started to beat her…" Lily said through her tears. "I helped clean her up after…and she stayed with me when he tortured you and Jack…we were all we had…after…I tried to help her…she wouldn't let me…and now she's dead…"

The tears over took her again and he helped her up and led her back into the TARDIS.

* * *

Joshua Naismith was watching the footage of the burning of Broadfell Prison. The door opened and his daughter, Abigail, entered.

"I think we might be in luck, darling." He told her. "It's the footage from Broadfell prison the night it burned down. Take a look at this."

He queued up the tape and they saw a form run through the flames.

"Someone survived." Abigail said. "Do you think it's him?"

Joshua just looked up at her.

"Oh, that would be such a Christmas present!" she exclaimed.

He chuckled and then stood up, chucking Abigail under the chin.

"You just leave it to Daddy." He told her.

He strode into the next room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it seems help is at hand." He called. "Christmas is cancelled. Prepare the Gate!"

As Abigail smiled in satisfaction, people in lad coats began to work.

A young woman glanced at Joshua as she continued to work and a tall, thin man turned to look at a computer readout.

On the other side of the room stood a large metallic object, about twenty feet tall, sparking with light.

* * *

Wilf walked to the door, wearing two pairs of antlers on his head, and looked up the stairs.

"Just goin' down the Lions for a little snifter!" he called. "Christmas drinks! Right, tata love!"

He pulled out his phone and dialed as he walked out the door.

"Paratroop 1 to paratroop 2." He called. "We are mobilized. I repeat, we are mobilized. Rendezvous 1300 hours. Over and out."

He hung up and sneaked down the driveway. He watched as a large bus turned onto the street and he waved it down.

"Come on!" he called, chuckling. "Wayhay, shake a leg!" He did a little dance. "Yayhay!"

The bus pulls up and Wilf continued to dance. The driver and the passengers all laughed and applauded.

"Right, carry on then. Off we go!" he said as he got on and the bus pulled away. "Everybody all right? Who's got the chocolates then? Whoa!"

* * *

Wilf stood at the front of the bus, giving out their orders.

"Right, he's tall and then, wears a brown suit, maybe a blue suit." He told them. "He's got a long, brown coat. Modern sort of hair-all sticky uppy. Right? And she's shorter, with blonde hair, usually with a portion dyed some strange color. And she wears a strange diamond on a chain. Oh, and on page two, be on the lookout for a police box."

He held up a detailed picture of the TARDIS.

"Exactly like the old ones." He told them.

"I got locked inside one of them." A woman, Minnie Hooper, told them. "August bank holiday 1962."

"Were you misbehaving, Minnie?" Winston Katusi asked, leaning over.

"I certainly was!" she replied. "Wayhey!"

Everyone chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, all right, all right, now listen." Wilf called, regaining control. "This _is_ important. We have _got_ to find them. Right, so, phone around, phone everybody. Sally, will you get on to the bridge club? Right, Winston, you try the old boys. Bobby, I want you to ring the Skiffleband. Right? Between us, we got the city covered."

"The Silver Cloak?" Minnie asked.

"Yeah!" Wilf replied.

"Who are they then?" Winston asked.

"No, I can't tell you that." Wilf told them, shaking his head. "I swear. Yeah, but answer me this. You been having bad dreams? All of you? Dreams you can't remember?"

Everyone looked confused, like they were trying to remember.

"Yeah, well that's why we need them." Wilf told them. "We need the Doctor and the Phoenix. More than ever."

* * *

Two men stood at a catering van in a building site. Behind them, there was an oil barrel with wood burning.

"Onions with that?" the woman inside asked.

"Oh, yeah, I love them!" the man said. "What about you, Ginger? Hey? Onions?"

The younger man shrugged.

"He don't say much." The man said, turning back to the woman. "Give him onions. He's down from Huntersfield."

A man in a black hoodie walked past the fire, towards the van.

"Well, you look after 'im!" the woman told them man. "And don't forget tomorrow night, Christmas broadcast, President Obama. He's promised to end the recession."

She handed the young man his food.

"Bad times will soon be over, Ginger!" she told him.

"Well, season's greetings to you!" the man told her.

"And you!" she replied. "Happy Christmas!"

The man in the black hoodie stopped and watched the two men walk away.

"Now what can we get you sir?" she asked him.

"Everything!" the man replied.

The Master flipped off the hood and grinned at her.

"I am _so hungry_!" he told her.

He laughed.

* * *

The two men found two old car seats next to a fire and sat down to eat their food.

"They're saying that the President's got this grand plan." The man said. "He's gonna save the world with some big financial scheme. Hmm, whatever it is, I bet it won't reach you and me."

The Master dropped to the ground behind them, eating a burger.

The two men started and looked up.

"Ooh, someone's lively on his feet." The man said.

"Starving." The Master said, noticing them watching him.

The men watched as the Master ate the burger at superhuman speed.

"Now, you see, that's what you don't wanna do." The man told him. "Eat it all at once. Tempting, I know. But if you make it last, it can last all day."

The Master licked the paper.

"More!" he said hungrily. "With cheese and chips! And meat and gravy. And cream and beer. And pork and beef and fat and great big chunks of hot, wet red."

"Good for you, mate." The man said before turning to the younger man. "Maybe we'd better be going."

"You look like that bloke." The younger man said. "Harold Saxon."

The Master stopped licking the paper.

"The one that went mad." The young man said, laughing.

"Now, isn't that funny?" The Master said, laughing and holding up a finger. "Is that's just the best thing of all? The master of disguise. Stuck looking like the old Prime Minister. I can't hide anywhere. He can see me."

The smile dropped off his face.

"He can smell me." He told them. "Can't let him smell me! Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, stop the smell! The stink! The filthy, filthy stink!"

The man and the younger man looked at him anxiously.

"Ginger, come with me!" the man said.

They scrambled to their feet and the Master wiped his mouth as they began to run.

"Right now!" the man told him.

The Master put out a hand and they stopped dead.

"But it's funny!" he told them. "Don't you see? Look at me! I'm splitting my sides!"

The stared at him as a strange blue light flickered over his face, revealing his skeleton.

"I'm hilarious!" he told them. "I'm the funniest thing in the whole world!"

He finished with a roar.

The two men screamed and began to run, and he watched them go before getting to his feet and ambling forward, his head tilted to one side.

"Run!" the man yelled as they ran back towards the van. "God help us! There's this man!"

They reached the front of the van to find the occupants turned to skeletons.

"Dinner time!" the Master screamed.

As the words echoed, he leaped impossibly high before diving headfirst, mouth open.

There were screams, a loud bang, and then silence.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily stood high on a cliff overlooking a trash dump.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked Lily quietly.

She nodded before freezing.

"He's here." she said softly.

The Doctor sniffed and nodded.

They suddenly heard the sound of metal being drawn across the ground.

* * *

The Master was sitting on the ground, his hoodie pulled once more over his head. He suddenly flipped it back and sniffed.

He picked up an iron bar and began to bang on the side of an oil drum.

_Bang._

_Bang._

_Bang._

_Bang._

He paused for a second.

_Bang. _

_Bang._

_Bang._

_Bang._

The Doctor and Lily heard the beats and turned in the direction of the sound.

They took off and the Master banged out the pattern again. And again. He got faster each time.

Finally, he threw the bar aside and also began to run.

The Doctor and Lily stopped when they saw the familiar shape of the Master standing on a hill of gravel. He was facing them and he let loose a roar before jumping into the air and disappearing.

They ran after him and finally stopped again, the Master standing above them on a pile of iron beams.

The Master began to laugh, his form flickering between man and skeleton.

"Koschei!" Lily screamed.

He froze and looked at her.

"Alyssy?" he asked softly.

"It's me, big brother." She told him sadly.

"You've regenerated." He said.

"And you've come back from the dead." She shot back. "Sort of."

His form flickered again.

"Please, let us help!" the Doctor yelled.

The Master looked at him, his face full of scorn.

"You're burning up your own life-force!" the Doctor told him.

The couple ran around a pile of rusty steel bars, only to find Wilf.

"Oh, by gosh, Doctor, Lily-I mean Phoenix, you're a sight for sore eyes!" he told them.

"Hey, get away!" the Doctor told him, leaping on to a pile to look for the Master as the rest of Wilf's group arrived.

"What are you doing here?" Lily demanded. "It's not safe, Wilf!"

"Did we do it?" Winston asked. "Is that them?"

"Tall and thin." Wilf replied. "Shorter and weird hair."

The Doctor stared at the landscape, but the Master was gone.

"Hey!" Lily said at the weird hair comment.

"The Silver Cloak." Minnie said. "It worked. 'Cause Wilf phoned Nettie, who phoned June. And her sister lives opposite Broadfell, and she saw the police box, and a distraught couple matching the description. And her neighbor saw them heading east."

"Wilfred?" the Doctor asked, coming down.

"Yeah?" Wilf replied.

"Have you told them who we are?" the Doctor demanded. "You know the rules."

"No, I just said you were a Doctor and his girlfriend, that's all." Wilf told them. "And I might say, sir, it is an honor to see you two again."

He saluted them and the Doctor reluctantly saluted him back.

Lily sighed and hugged the old man.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Wilf." She told him.

He smiled and hugged her back.

"Oh, but you never said he was a looker!" Minnie said, making Lily glare at her. "He's gorgeous!"

She handed a camera to Oliver.

"Take a photo." She told him.

"The girl's not too bad, either." He said, looking Lily up and down.

Lily winked and the Doctor glared.

"Me next!" Oliver said.

"I'm Minnie." She told the Doctor. "Minnie the Menace."

She put her arm around him and moved to stand next to him.

Lily quickly moved to Wilf's side as the other's crowded round the Doctor. He looked at her, pleading, but she just grinned making him glare at her.

"It's a long time since I had a photo with a handsome man." Minnie told him.

"Just get off him." Wilf said as the Doctor focused his glare on the man. "Leave him alone!"

"Hush, you old misery!" Minnie shot back. "Come on, Doctor!"

She patted his cheeks.

"Give us a smile." She told him.

_Yeah, Doctor._ Lily told him. _Give us a smile._

_I hate you._ He told her.

She blew him a kiss.

"Hold on." Oliver said, pressing a button. "Did it flash?"

The Doctor looked around and Lily did the same, both of them still looking for the Master.

"No, there's a blue light." Minnie told Oliver. "Try again."

"One more." Oliver said. "Fingers and tongues."

"I-We're really kind of busy, you know." The Doctor said.

"Oh, it won't take a tick." Minnie told him. "Keep smiling!"

The Doctor suddenly jumped.

"Is that your _hand_, Minnie?" he asked.

"Good boy!" she replied, patting his behind again.

"Hey, he's taken, Minnie!" Lily told her sternly.

Minnie just smiled.

* * *

The bus pulled up a suburban street and Wilf, the Doctor, and Lily got out.

"Come on then, here we are, hurry up!" Wilf told them. "Goodbye! Right, bye!"

Everyone on the bus waved and Minnie blew the Doctor a kiss.

"Right, over 'ere." Wilf told them, leading them to a café.

"What's so special about this place?" The Doctor asked. "We've passed fifteen cafés on the way!"

"Yeah, I know." Wilf said, chuckling.

Some people walked past them as they entered.

"Afternoon!" Wilf told them as they walked to a table and sat down.

"Is Donna alright?" Lily asked anxiously.

"She's fine." Wilf told her.

"Then what's this all about?" she demanded.

"I keep…seeing thing." He told them. "I…this face. At night."

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked warily.

"I'm Wilfred Mott." He told him, confused.

"No." the Doctor replied, shaking his head slightly. "People have waited hundreds of years to find me and then you manage it in a couple of hours."

"Well, just lucky, I s'pose." He replied.

"Why didn't you just have Donna call us?" Lily asked him.

"You said that if she got involved with anything , it might hurt her." He replied, shaking his head. "I could risk that. I had to find you on my own."

"And so we keep on meeting." The Doctor said. "Over and over again. Like something's still connecting us."

"Well, what's so important about me?" Wilf asked.

"Exactly." The Doctor replied. "Why you?"

They were silent as the Doctor watched the people passing outside and Lily watched him.

"I'm going to die." The Doctor said finally.

"Well, so am I, one day." Wilf replied.

"Don't you dare!" Lily told him sternly, her eyes moist.

"All right, I'll try not to." Wilf said, chuckling.

"But I was told…" the Doctor told him. "'He will knock four times.' That was a prophecy. Knock four time and then…"

Lily slipped her hand into the one of his on the table and he held it tightly.

"Yeah, but I…thought…Last time, with Lily." Wilf replied. "Your people can change, like, your whole body. I saw it with Lily."

"We can still die." Lily told him. "If we're killed before regeneration, then we're dead."

"Even then," the Doctor said, leaning forward. "Even if I change, it feels like dying. Everything I am dies. Some new man goes sauntering away." His lip trembled and Lily held his hand tighter. "And I'm dead."

He refocused on Wilf, but the man was looking out the window.

"What?" the Doctor asked.

He and Lily turned to see Donna standing by a car, fishing out her keys.

The Doctor quickly turned back around, so he never saw Donna glance at Lily or Lily shake her head slightly.

Donna looked sad, but kept doing what she had been doing.

"I'm sorry, but I had to." Wilf said. "She's so sad without you two. Can't you make her better? Take her with you again."

"Stop it." The Doctor told him, his eyes red.

"But you're so clever." Wilf said. "Both of you. Can't you just take the knowledge?"

"We can't!" the Doctor told him. "If she were to be hurt, the knowledge would unlock and her mind would burn and she would die!"

"Don't you touch this car!" they heard Donna threaten a parking officer, making them all laugh.

"She hasn't changed." Lily said, shaking her head.

"No." Wilf agreed. "Oh, there he is! Shaun Temple-they're engaged! Getting married in the spring!"

"What?" Lily demanded. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"She said she had tried to call, but it wouldn't go through." Wilf told her. "I shouldn't tell you, but she wants you to be maid of honor."

Lily beamed.

"Hold on, she's not going to be called 'Noble Temple'." The Doctor said, appalled. "It sounds like a tourist spot!"

"No, it's 'Temple Noble'." Wilf replied.

"Right." The Doctor replied.

"Is she happy?" Lily asked. "Is he nice?"

"Yeah, he's sweet enough." Wilf told her. "He's a bit of a dreamer. Mind you, he's on minimum wage, she's earning tuppence, so all they can afford is a tiny flat. And then sometimes I see this look on her face, and I know she remembering you two. She looks so sad."

"She's got him." The Doctor said sadly.

"She's making do." Wilf corrected.

"Aren't we all?" Lily said, her voice weary.

"And how about you two?" Wilf asked. "Donna says you two need someone with you. To keep you grounded."

The Doctor shook his head.

"No one." He told Wilf. "Travelling on our own. We thought it was better."

He shrugged, agony etched in every line of his face.

"But I did some things…" he said, seeming on the verge of tears. "…it went wrong. I need…"

He finally broke down and Lily wrapped her arms around him, pulling him to her.

"Oh, my word!" Wilf said.

The Doctor took a deep breath, pulling away from Lily, but keeping her hand in a death grip.

"Merry Christmas!" he said bitterly.

"Yeah, and you." Wilf replied, crying.

They all chuckled.

"Look at us." Lily said, wiping away her tears.

"D-don't you see?" Wilf said, pointing out the window. "You need her, Doctor, Phoenix. I mean, look, wouldn't she make you laugh again? Good old Donna."

The Doctor nodded and Lily looked down.

"We can't risk her." She whispered. "She's safer away from us."

The Doctor and Lily watched as Donna drove away.

The Doctor stood and Lily followed him, neither showing a sign of weakness now.

Wilf watched sadly as they walked away.

* * *

_And so it came to pass that the players took their final places, making ready the events that were to come._

The Master sat in a darkened room, barely visible.

_A madman sat in his empire of dust and ashes, little knowing of the glory he would achieve._

A/N: Second chapter is done! Whew! And it's only get worse, as next chapter includes a show down between the two supercharged siblings, as Lily goes up against the only person with powers to rival hers. Let the fun begin. I need comfort food. Okay, so there is a new poll on my profile. Please go take it. And, as always, please review!

Abbey


	21. The End of Time: Sibling Rivalry

Disclaimer: I own nothing and if you haven't realized that by now, you should seriously consider getting yourself tested for some kind of learning disorder.

Ch. 21:

_A madman sat in his empire of dust and ashes, little knowing of the glory he would achieve._

The Master was gnawing on a bone, when he suddenly looked up.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily were standing on a stony mound, looking around.

_While his saviors looked upon the wilderness in the hope of changing his inevitable fate._

* * *

Joshua and Abigail sat on silver thrones, clinking celebratory glasses of champagne.

_Far away, the idiots and fools dreamt of a shining new future, a future now doomed to never happen._

* * *

"As Earth rolled onwards into night, the people of that world did sleep and shiver, somehow knowing that the dawn would bring only one thing….the final day."

The Lord President stood, in red and orange robes, watching.

* * *

The Master sniffed and turned.

* * *

_Promise me you'll stay behind me. _Lily told the Doctor.

He stared at her.

_Promise me._ She repeated.

He hesitated and nodded.

The Master walked towards them and Lily and the Doctor matched his motions.

The Master glanced down at his hands, which were glowing.

"You killed Lucy." Lily called to him.

"A human." He sneered. "A betrayer."

"I also betrayed you." She told him. "Are you going to kill me, brother?"

"Join me." He told her. "We can rule side by side, brother and sister again, like we were in the old days."

"I've made my choice, Koschei." She told him sadly. "Have you made yours?"

He flung out his hands and a bolt of silver electricity hit her gold barrier.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

She threw out her hand and bolt of gold light flew away from her as her shield dropped.

The Master quickly deflected it with a bolt of his own.

"Can you do it, Alyssy?" he asked her. "Can you kill me yourself?"

He sent a bolt back at her and she quickly raised her barrier.

"If I have to." She told him.

She sent another gold bolt at him, but he was ready for her this time. He deflected the bolt, but sent another at her before she could raise her barrier.

The bolt hit her chest, throwing her to her knees as she screamed in agony.

Before the Doctor could move, he was also hit by a bolt, sending him to his knees.

The Master ran to Lily and slowly lowered her to the ground.

"I'm sorry." He told her sincerely. "I'm so sorry, little sister."

"I'm…not your little sister." She told him, breathing heavily. "Koschei was my brother, and…I loved him. But he's dead, and you…killed him. All that's left is the Master."

He gently touched her face and moved to the Doctor.

He stared at the Doctor's face for a moment before letting him also fall to the ground.

Lily struggled to move closer to the Doctor and weakly reached out to grasp his hand as they both fought the pain.

"I had estates." The Master said, squatting a little ways away from them. "D'you remember our lands, Alyssy? Our father's land back home? Pastures of red grass, stretching far across the slopes of Mount Perdition."

Lily and the Doctor moved closer to each other, still struggling for breath.

"We used to run across the fields all day." The Master continued. "The three of us actually. You wouldn't remember, would you Alyssy, how you first met the Doctor as the boy who was your big brother's best friend? You were barely ten, just a baby, but we watched you and played with you. Did he ever tell you that? How we ran, calling up at the sky." He settled back against a mound of debris. "Look at us now!"

"All that eloquence, but how many people have you killed?" the Doctor asked, both he and Lily still laying on the ground.

"I'm so hungry!" the Master told them.

"Your resurrection went wrong." The Doctor told him, still struggling to breathe. "That energy…Your body's ripped open. Now you're killing yourself."

"That's human Christmas, out there!" The Master yelled, gesturing angrily. "They eat so much! All that roasting meat. Cakes and red wine. Hot fat blood food. Pots and plates of meat and flesh and grease and juice and baking burnt sticky hot skin. Hot this, hot that, oh…"

"Stop it!" Lily told him.

"Sliced…sliced…" he continued.

"Stop it!" she repeated.

"It's mine." He said. "It's mine, it's mine, it's mine, it's mine. Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it."

"Stop it!" Lily screamed at the same time.

There was a moment of silence.

"What if we ask you for help?" the Doctor asked him weakly.

The Master laughed at him.

"There's more at work tonight than you and me and Lily." The Doctor told him.

"Oh, yeah?" he asked mockingly.

"We've been told, something is returning." Lily told him slowly, obviously still in pain.

"And here I am!" he told her victoriously.

"No, something more." The Doctor told him, shaking his head.

"But it hurts!" the Master told them.

"We were told-the end of time!" the Doctor continued.

"It hurts!" the Master repeated. "Alyssy, the noise! The noise in my head!"

He got on his hands and knees and began crawling across the ground to them.

"Doctor!" he called. "One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Stronger than ever before. Can't you hear it?"

"I'm sorry." The Doctor said, shaking his head.

"Please!" The Master begged, turning to Lily. "Listen, listen, listen, listen. Every minute. Every second."

Tears fell down Lily's cheek as she looked at her brother who looked so helpless.

"Every beat of my hearts." He told her. "There it is. Calling to me. Please, listen!"

"I can't hear it." She told him, crying. "I can't help you!"

He crawled to her so he was only inches away.

The Doctor tried to move but he was too weak.

"Listen!" he growled at her.

He grabbed her face in his hands and pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes in intense concentration.

Lily suddenly wrenched herself free and the Doctor stared.

"What?" the Master asked.

"That's…" Lily breathed.

"What?" he demanded.

"We heard it." The Doctor said, horrified.

Lily stared at her brother, wide eyed and frightened.

The Master straightened up.

"But there's no noise." The Doctor said, sitting up on his haunches and helping Lily up as she clung to him.

The Master got to his feet.

"There never has been." The Doctor continued. "It's just your insanity! It's…What is it? What's inside your head?"

The Master began to laugh hysterically.

"It's real! It's real!" he screamed. "It's real!"

Bolts of power came out of the Master's hands, propelling him into the sky.

Lily and the Doctor staggered to their feet, looking to the sky for the Master.

They heard him laugh and they chased the sound. They stopped when they saw him on a nearby mound of dirt.

"All these years, you thought I was mad!" The Master screamed at the Doctor, raising an arm in victory. "King of the wasteland. But something is calling me, Doctor, little sister. What is it? What is it? What is it?"

A light suddenly illuminated him from above.

The Master looked up to find a spotlight on him.

Another light snapped on above Lily and the Doctor, who staggered back, trying to identify the source.

Ropes dropped on either side of the Master.

"Ahh!" he yelled.

"Koschei!" Lily screamed.

She tried to raise a barrier around him, but she was still too weak.

Men in black slide down the ropes as the Master laughed, his hands flung out as if he were being celebrated. The men grabbed him, injecting something into his neck and the Master went limp.

For the second time, the Doctor found himself holding Lily back.

"Koschei!" She yelled, trying to get to him.

She got away from the Doctor and ran towards her brother, but the men began shooting at her and she was forced to stop and raise a barrier as the Doctor ran to her side.

"Let him go!" she screamed.

She let the barrier drop, preparing to run for her brother again, but something hit the Doctor, sending him to the ground. She quickly dropped to her knees next to him and watched, helplessly, as the men left with her brother's unconscious body.

* * *

Wilf opened a wrapped present and found a book called _Fighting the Future_ by Joshua Naismith.

"Now then, steady on." Donna said, breezing in. "It's never too early for margarita, that's what I say. I forgot to get lemons, so I used oranges instead. It's all fruit, same difference."

"Oh, now that's lovely, look at that, absolutely beautiful!" Sylvia said, looking at the striped top she had been given. She glanced at the tag. "Oh, love from Donna. Did you keep the receipt?"

"Yes, I did." Donna replied with a pained smile, before nudging Wilf. "Come on, Gramps, you've been a right misery ever since you got up. D'you like it then? The book?"

"Joshua Naismith?" he asked her. "I mean, what d'you get me this for?"

"I dunno." She told him. "I guess…because you were the one always encouraging me to help Lily and the Doctor do just that."

He looked away as she smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry you couldn't reach them." Sylvia said, wrapping an arm around her daughter.

"It's alright." Donna said. "I just wish I could tell Lily about Shawn, about the wedding. I so want them to be there."

"I'm sure you'll get a hold of them eventually." Sylvia told her.

"I just hope they're alright." Donna replied.

She smiled and got up and followed her mother to the table.

Wilf turned the book over in his hands, studying it.

* * *

Joshua Naismith was standing in the same position as on the cover of his book, waving at a man with his index finger.

"If you would, Mr. Danes." He said.

Three men in suits stood by a window and the middle one moved to the chair where the Master was tied up.

He opened him mouth and licked his lips as the gag was removed.

"I'm starving!" he told them.

"You have my daughter to thank for this." Joshua told him, smiling as he moved over to stand beside Abigail. "It's all her idea. She heard rumors of Harold Saxon, his disciples, his return. It's the sort of thing she finds rather…thrilling."

"And I was right!" Abigail said happily. "He's back!"

The Master smiled and closed his eyes in satisfaction.

"The very man we need and he's here." she continued.

The Master licked his lips and opened his eyes.

"Oh!" Abigail said, clapping her hands. "This is gonna be wonderful!"

The Master finally looked at her and smiled.

* * *

Shawn arrived at the Noble household.

"Aye, aye, here are the presents!" he called, carrying a pile of gifts. "I'm sorry, I couldn't afford much, but not for long, not if President Obama ends the recession tonight."

He turned to Donna.

"Come here!" he told her, pulling her into a hug.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Wilf called. "Keep it quiet, you lot, it's the Queen's speech now, come on. Sit down, show respect. Come on."

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Mott!" Shawn said, kissing the older man's cheek.

"Thank you." Wilf replied, pushing the younger man away. "Will you behave, you? Honestly! All right, now, whoa, she's on, she's on. It's our sovereign."

Wilf sat in front of television and saluted.

The television went strange and an image of the woman from the church began cutting in and out. Finally, it solidified and Wilf dropped the salute.

"Hey?" he asked.

"Events are moving, Wilfred." She told him.

"Eh?" he asked.

"Faster than we thought." She told him, distressed.

"Oi!" Wilf called, trying to get the other's attention. "Can you see that?"

"Frankly, I'd tell Her Majesty it's time for trouser suits." Donna said carelessly.

"No, no, no, no, that's not the Q-" he said.

"Only you can see." The woman told him. "Only you stand at the heart of coincidence."

"Why, what have I done?" he asked.

"You're an old soldier, sir." She told him. "Only you were too late. The war was won and passed you by."

"I did my duty!" he told her indignantly.

"You never killed a man." She replied.

"No, I didn't." he agreed, shaking his head. "No, I did not, no, but…Don't say that like it's shameful!"

"The time will come when you must take arms." The woman told him.

"Who are you?" Wilf demanded, worried.

"Tell the Doctor and the Phoenix nothing of this." The woman ordered. "Especially the Doctor. His life could still be saved. So long as you tell them nothing."

The pictured changed back to a horse drawn carriage.

Wilf turned to the others again before turning back again, indecisive and confused.

As his daughter and granddaughter laughed, Wilf got up and went into his room. He kneeled next to his bed and pulled out an old case. He sat down on his bed and opened it to look at the old revolver. He lifted it up and checked to see that it was still loaded before going to the window.

Outside was the TARDIS.

As he walked outside, the Doctor and Lily walked out to meet him.

"I lost him." Lily said, her eyes wet. "I couldn't stop them. I wasn't strong enough."

The Doctor sadly wrapped an arm around her.

"He's still on Earth." He told Wilf. "We can smell him, but he's too far away."

"You can't park there." Wilf told them, gesturing to the TARDIS. "What if Donna sees it?"

"You're the only one." The Doctor continued, not paying attention to what the man said. "The only connection I can think of. You're involved. If I could just…work out how."

He lunged at Wilf, grabbing his shoulders.

"Doctor!" Lily said, pulling him back.

"Tell me, have you seen anything?" the Doctor demanded. "I don't know, anything strange, anything odd."

"Well, there was a…" Wilf started nervously.

"What?" the Doctor asked. "What is it? Tell me!"

"Stop it, Doctor!" Lily told him. "You're scaring him!"

"Well, it was…no it's nothing." Wilf told them.

"Think, think, think." The Doctor told him. "Maybe…maybe something out of the blue, something connected to your life. Something!"

"Well, Donna was a bit strange." Wilf told them. "Bought me a book because it remind her of you two."

"What book?" Lily asked.

* * *

Wilf came back out with _Fighting the Future_ and showed it to the Doctor and Lily, who were waiting in the back garden for him.

"Right, his name's Joshua Naismith." Wilf told them.

"Doctor!" Lily exclaimed, looking at the man on the book.

"That's the man!" the Doctor said. "We were shown him by the Ood."

"But the what?" Wilf asked.

"By the Ood." The Doctor repeated.

"What's the Ood?" Wilf asked.

"Oh, just the Ood." The Doctor said. "It's all part of the convergence."

"Touching the parts of you and me that are still inside Donna, lying dormant." Lily said, smiling. "Even without knowing, she's fighting for us. The DoctorLilyDonna."

She hugged the Doctor around the middle tightly, and he hugged her back, smiling.

Wilf smiled to see them happy again.

"Dad, what are you up to?" Sylvia asked, coming out.

She stopped at the sight of Lily and the Doctor.

"Oh, she'll be so happy!" she breathed.

"You can't tell her we're here." Lily told her quickly.

"Why not?" Sylvia demanded.

"We're into something." The Doctor told her. "Something that could unlock Donna's knowledge if she were to come with us, and if she knows we're here, she'll insist on coming."

"And if she does, she might die." Lily finished. "We were serious when we said she couldn't travel with us anymore. She has to stay out of this."

"Mum, where are those tweezers?" Donna called, making them all freeze.

"Go!" Sylvia told them quickly.

"We're going." The Doctor replied.

He and Lily quickly turned away.

"Yeah, me too!" Wilf said.

"Oh, no you don't!" Sylvia told him.

"Mum?" Donna called, coming to the door. "Gramps?"

"Dad!" Sylvia hissed. "I'm warning you!"

"Bye bye!" he called, waving behind his head at her. "See you later!"

"Oh, I'm a bit old for hide and seek!" Donna called as they moved around to the front of the house.

"Stay right where you are!" Sylvia ordered her father.

"You can't come with us." The Doctor told Wilf.

"Well, you're not leaving me with her!" Wilf said, gesturing to his daughter.

"Dad!" Sylvia called.

"He's got a point." Lily said.

"Fair enough." The Doctor agreed.

They quickly bundled into the TARDIS as Sylvia continued to berate them.

"Mum?" Donna called.

"Just you listen to me, I forbid it!" Sylvia told them.

The TARDIS began to dematerialize.

"Get out of there!" she ordered. "Doctor! Lily or Phoenix or whatever your name is! Bring my father back right now! Come back here!"

Donna came out the front door and stared at her mother in confusion.

"Come back here, I said!" Sylvia screamed at the now empty space. "Come back!"

"Are you shouting at thin air?" Donna asked her mockingly.

"Yes." Sylvia replied, somewhat lost for words. "Possibly. Yes."

A/N: Third chapter done. Everyone needs to review and go take the poll. That is an order.

Abbey


	22. The End of Time: Fix

Disclaimer: Just leave me alone, you vultures!

Ch. 22:

The Doctor and Lily were racing around, flying the TARDIS, the book still in the Doctor's hand.

"Naismith." The Doctor said, shoving the book at Wilf. "If we can track him down…"

He glanced at Wilf, realizing that the man seemed slightly shocked.

"Wilf?" Lily called. "Are you okay?"

"Ah. Right." The Doctor said. "Yes. Bigger on the inside. D'you like it?"

"I thought it'd be cleaner." Wilf told him.

"Cleaner?" the Doctor replied indignantly, pointing at him. "I can take you back home right now."

"Listen, Doctor." Wilf said, ignoring him. "If this is a time machine, that man you're chasing, why can't you just pop back to yesterday and catch him?"

"We can't go back inside our own timelines." The Doctor replied. "We have to stay relative to the Master within the causal nexus."

"Did you understand any of that?" Lily asked him.

"Not a word." Wilf replied.

"Welcome aboard." The Doctor said, offering his hand.

Wilf shook it.

"Thank you." He replied.

The Doctor went back to work and Lily sat down heavily.

"All right, love?" Wilf asked, coming to sit next to her.

"He's my brother." Lily told him. "I watched him die once already. I'm not sure I can do it again."

"You'll stop him." Wilf said assuredly.

Lily chuckled darkly.

"You don't know my brother." She told him.

"No." Wilf agreed. "But I'll tell you this. My granddaughter thinks of you as the closest thing she has to a sister. And I reckon that makes you my granddaughter too, at least in spirit.

"You know I have at least a hundred and fifty years on you, right?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Hush." He replied. "Now, I'm going to give you some advice, granddad to granddaughter: Never give up on family. You never know when they might surprise you."

Lily stared at him for a moment, tears in her eyes, before grabbing him in a tight hug.

"Ooh!" he said, surprised, but he quickly returned the hug.

"Thank you." Lily told him, pulling away.

"You're welcome, dear." He told her.

She smiled and got up to help the Doctor.

* * *

The door to the lab opened and Joshua walked in, closely followed by Abigail. Following after them was the Master, surrounded by guards and in a straitjacket.

As he walked in, the Master switched his focus from glaring at Abigail to staring at the machine in the room.

"Demonstrate it." Joshua ordered, pointing at a tech, Addams.

She typed several commands into the computer and the lights in the machine sparked.

The Master raised his eyebrows, amused.

"Ooh, that's not from Earth!" he said.

"And neither are you." Joshua replied.

No one noticed another the tall tech, Rossiter, react.

"The perfect combination, don't you think?" Joshua continued.

"Excuse me, sir, if I could check the basement." Rossiter said, jumping up. "We're getting fluctuations on the power ports."

Addams glanced at him warily.

"Of course." Joshua told him.

"Miss Addams, if you could bring the calibration statistics?" Rossiter asked, glancing at her.

While the Master continued to study the machine, Rossiter and Addams hurried to the basement.

"Who the hell is he?" Rossiter demanded, panicking. "What if he finds out? And expert, they said. Well, w-what sort of expert? Who is he?"

"I don't know!" Addams replied. "According to the records, Harold Saxon was Prime Minister of this stupid country."

She cricked her neck.

"I'm chocking in this thing!" she told him. "I'm sorry!"

She pressed her watch and a light passed over her, revealing a green skinned alien with spikes. She rolled her head around.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "By the saints, that's better! Oh, these people are so…flat."

Rossiter pressed his watch and converted into a similar creature.

"But what do we do?" he demanded. "We were so close! We almost had it working!"

"What if this visitor is some sort of genius?" Addams asked, making Rossiter shrug. "Well, think about it! We're hijacking this project. Maybe we can use him too!"

Rossiter nodded.

"Harold Saxon, or whatever he is, might be exactly what we need." Addams told him.

* * *

Joshua sat at a table, opposite the Master, as Abigail stood behind him.

"The gate was found inside a spaceship." He told the Master. "Buried at the foot of Mount Snowdon. It was moved to an institute known as Torchwood. But when Torchwood fell…let's just say, I acquired it."

The Master smiled.

"I like you." He told Joshua.

"Thank you." Joshua replied, smiling.

"You'd taste great!" The Master continued, eyeing the man.

Joshua's smile vanished and he backed away, getting out of his chair.

"Mr. Danes." He called quickly.

"The visitor will be given food." Danes ordered.

A butler approached, carrying a tray covered with a silver cover.

The Master turned, looking relieved as a large roast chicken was revealed.

He dived in, tearing it to pieces and devouring it like a ravenous beast. The only sound was breaking of bones and tearing of flesh.

Joshua glanced at Abigail anxiously.

The Master also glanced at her while he crammed chicken into his mouth, but in a decidedly hungry fashion. A minute later, all that was left was a pile of bones.

"Anyway," Joshua said, disgusted, "the device came equipped with its own power supply. A nuclear bolt."

One man in a white coats was locked in a sealed chamber. Another entered the other chamber next to it and the locks switched, allowing the first man to get out.

"One technician remains in charge of the feedback twenty four hours a day." Joshua continued. "And the power feeds through the gate. It encourages some sort of cellular regeneration. Miss Collins was our test subject."

A young woman in a lab coat turned away from the computer and moved to his side.

"She carried some burns as a result of an accident when she was a child, down her left side." Joshua told the Master. "If you…could."

Miss Collins pulled up her sleeve to reveal a completely healthy arm.

"The gate mended her." Joshua said, glancing at her. "Thank you."

"But what do you want it for?" The Master asked.

"We calculate that if this device can be fully repaired, by your good self, it can restore the body-forever!" the man replied. "Hence it's given title-the Immortality Gate. Because that's what I want."

The Master smirked.

"Not for me." Joshua told him. "But for my daughter. I want her never to die. My gift to her! She will be immortal!"

"Abigail." She said smugly. "It means bringer of joy."

"Actually it doesn't." The Master told her. "It means 'Joy of the Father', actually, but that's a moot point."

He took a deep breath, smelling the Doctor and Lily, as he turned to a computer.

"Better get to work." He told them.

* * *

The door of the TARDIS opened and Wilf walked out into a disused building.

"We've moved!" he marveled. "We've really moved!"

"You should stay here." Lily told him gently.

"No, not bloody likely!" Wilf replied.

"And don't swear!" The Doctor told him. "Hold on!"

He pointed the key at the TARDIS and it disappeared.

"Just a second out of sync." He explained. "Don't want the Master finding the TARDIS. That's the last thing we need!"

"Yeah, if we could avoid another paradox machine, that would be great." Lily said sarcastically.

The Doctor led them out of the building and they ran along the wall, darting back around the corner just in time to avoid being spotted by two guards.

"What, did this guy hire the national army?" Lily asked.

"The book said he's a billionaire." Wilf replied. "He just made his own army!"

The Doctor glanced at a covered passage.

"Down here." he told them.

He soniced the door open and they followed him in.

* * *

The Master was working very quickly as the others watched.

"Miss Addams," Rossiter, back in human form, called over the PA, "we're getting some encouraging results from the ratio foldback. Can you confirm?"

* * *

"The man's a miracle." Addams replied, smiling. "All the systems are slotting back into place. Shatterthreads have harmonized. The fiberlinks have densified. The multiple overshots have triplicated."

"Nice game!" The Doctor said, poking his head around the door.

"Hello!" Wilf called, peering around the other side.

Lily walked right through and slammed the woman up against the wall.

"Tell me where my brother is and I won't break your neck." She said sweetly. "And don't bother calling security, because they'll arrest us, or they'll try, but I'm sure they'd be interested to know your wearing a shimmer."

"I'm s-sorry." Addams said, playing dumb. "What's a 'shimmer'?"

"Doctor." Lily said.

"Shimmer!" he called, pointing his sonic screwdriver at her.

Her image wavered and she turned back into the green alien.

"Oh!" she said, annoyed.

"Oh, my lord, she's a cactus!" Wilf said.

"Now, where is my brother?" Lily asked softly.

Addams glared at her.

* * *

"Miss Addams?" Rossiter called. "Miss Addams!"

He turned to Joshua.

"If you'll-just excuse me." He said before racing out.

Joshua and Abigail shared a little smile.

"Now, please don't imagine I'm a slave driver." Joshua said.

The Master smirked, continuing to work at top speed.

"We can resume work on Boxing Day, Mr. Saxon." Joshua told him.

Abigail looked at her father, impressed by his offer.

"My name…" The Master said grimly, with a tiny smile, "is the Master."

He pressed a button and the screen turned bright red.

The Master tucked his hands behind his head and stretched his neck, pleased with himself.

The overhead lights in the room went out and then the Immortality Gate began to glow.

"Oh! Excellent."Joshua called, delighted. "Excellent! Mr. Danes!"

"The visitor will be restrained." Danes ordered.

"What?" The Master asked sarcastically. "But I repaired it!"

"I'm not an idiot!" Joshua told him angrily. "Don't let him anywhere near that thing!"

As a man approached the Master with the straightjacket, Joshua pulled Abigail into a hug.

* * *

"He's got it working, but what is it?" the Doctor asked. "What's working?"

"And why in God's name would they let him near anything?" Lily asked. "Did they miss the fairly impressive meltdown when he killed the President of America? Does this seem like someone you want working on anything?"

Rossiter ran into the room.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Shimmer!" the Doctor said, pointing the sonic screwdriver and the man changed into an green alien.

Addams peered around Lily and Wilf at him.

"Now, quickly, tell me, what's going on." The Doctor ordered, but Rossiter shook his head. "Harold Saxon. Skeletor. Whatever you're calling him. What's he doing up there?"

* * *

The Master was once again restrained, smiling dangerously as Joshua spoke.

"Your reputation precedes you, sir." Joshua told him. "I have no doubt you've laid traps. Perhaps explosives. A means of escape. Murder. But everything you've done to the gate will be checked and double-checked before anyone stands inside."

* * *

As the Doctor and Lily quickly checked the computer, Addams waited with her hands on her hips and Rossiter took a step forward.

"But I checked the readings." He told them. "He's done good work. It's operational."

"Oh, I have no doubt it is." Lily told him. "Whether or not it does what you want it to do is a whole other question."

"Who are you though?" the Doctor asked, looking at him. "'Cause I've met someone like you. He was brilliant. But he was little and red."

"Ah, Bannakaffalatta." Lily said fondly. "I loved that little man."

"No, that's a Zocci." Addams said, frustrated.

"We're not Zocci, we're Vinvocci!" Rossiter told them. "Completely different."

The Doctor shrugged.

"And the Gate is Vinvocci." Addams continued. "We're a salvage team! We picked up the signal when the humans reactivated it. And as soon as it's working, we transport it to the ship."

"But-what does it do?" The Doctor demanded, irritated.

"Well…it…mends." Rossiter replied. "It's as simple as that. It's a medical device to repair the body. It makes people better."

"No." Lily said, shaking her head. "That can't be it. I know my brother. He's about to do something colossal."

"So that thing's like a sickbed, yeah?" Wilf asked, pointing at the machine.

"More or less…" Addams replied.

"Well, pardon me from asking, but why is it so big?" he asked.

"Oh, good question!" The Doctor said.

"No need to sound so surprised." Lily told him. "This is Donna's grandfather, after all."

"Good point." He replied. "But why is it so big?"

"It doesn't just mend one person at a time." Addams replied.

"That would be ridiculous." Rossiter said, chuckling.

"It mends whole planets." Addams said as if talking to a child.

The Doctor and Lily stared at them.

"It does what?" the Doctor asked, horrified.

"It transmits the medical template across the entire population." Addams replied carelessly.

The Doctor and Lily tore out of the room.

* * *

The Master's shackles were secured as Joshua talked to his daughter.

"But it's time for the broadcast." He told her. "The President's grand initiative. You might want to see this, sir. Proof that the human race can mend its own problems."

"And now anticipation is rising as we go live to Washington." The announcer said. "Here, on Christmas Day, the President has promised an instant and radical solution to the worldwide depression. Barack Obama will lead us all into a new age of prosperity."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States." The Press Secretary announced.

"I'd like to speak briefly about the state of our economy."

"Close the Gate up right now!" the Doctor yelled, running into the room, Lily on his heels.

"At arms!" Joshua ordered.

"No, no, no, no, no." the Doctor yelled as the guards aimed guns at them. "W-whatever you do, just don't let him near that device."

"Oh, like that was ever gonna happen!" The Master said mockingly.

The Master used his power to fling off the straightjacket and collar, leaping into the Immortality Gate with a roar.

"Koschei!" Lily yelled. "Stop this!"

"You'll have to kill me." He told her.

She looked away.

"I thought so." He said smugly.

The Doctor stared at him in horror.

"Homeless, was I?" The Master called mockingly. "Destitute and dying? Well, look at me now!"

A/N: I know this took awhile. Sorry. Also, I know that the Master doesn't correct the meaning of Abigail in the actual show, but as it's my name, it has always pissed me off that they translated it wrong. So take that, highly paid Doctor Who writers!

Anyway, tell me what you thought, and don't forget to go take the poll. Also, now is the time for name ideas for the next story. I think it's a foregone conclusion that it will be Nickelback themed, but send them at me!

Abbey


	23. The End of Time: Humanity's End

Disclaimer: I don't own it! Happy now, you jerk?

Ch. 23:

"Deactivate it!" Lily shouted.

"All of you!" the Doctor ordered. "Turn the whole thing off!"

Everyone began to shake their heads in obvious pain.

"He's…inside my head." Joshua said with difficulty.

The Doctor and Lily looked from person to person, watching as they struggled.

"Get out of there!" the Doctor yelled, diving at the machine.

The Master shot a bolt at him and Lily quickly deflected it.

"Doctor!" Wilf called, coming into the room. "Doctor, there's…there's this face."

The Doctor and Lily ran to his side in concern.

"What is it?" The Doctor asked. "What can you see?"

"Well, it's him!" The man replied. "I can see him! I keep seeing his face!"

"Something's wrong." The Newsreader said. "It seems to be…affecting the President."

The Doctor watched as the President put his face in his hands before turning back to the Immortality Gate.

"I can't turn it off!" Lily called.

"That's because I locked it!" The Master sneered.

The Doctor and Lily exchanged a look before running to the shielded rooms, grabbing Wilf as they ran. They pushed him in one before squeezing into the other.

The Doctor and Lily maneuvered so that the Doctor could reach the dials.

"Just need to filter the levels." He told them.

"Oh, I can't see him." Wilf said, touching his temples. "He's gone!"

"Radiation shielding." The Doctor said. "Now press the button and let us out."

"Do what?" Wilf asked.

"We can't get out until you press the button." The Doctor told him. "That button there!"

Wilf finally got it and unlocked the door to free the Doctor and Lily.

"Fifty seconds and counting." The Master called.

"To what?" Lily yelled.

"Oh, you two are gonna love this!" the Master replied, chuckling.

"He was hiking the codes." Rossiter called, panicking. "He's extrapolating the gate power a million times over!"

"It's not affecting us!" Addams said, confused.

"He's set the template for human!" Rossiter replied.

As the Doctor and Lily worked frantically, Wilf's phone rang. He pulled out the gun first and tried to answer it before getting his phone.

"Donna?" he answered.

* * *

"Where are you?" she called. "It's Mum and Shawn. Something's wrong with them."

"There's this face." Sylvia said, staring into space.

"Wait a minute, I mean, what about you?" Wilf asked. "Can't you see anything?"

"I can see them!" She said. "That's bad enough!"

* * *

The call waiting rang through and Wilf answered it.

"Not now, Winston!" he answered.

* * *

"Wilfred, those dreams!" Winston said. "I can remember! That face!"

Everyone around him was holding their heads in pain.

"There's a face!" a boy said. "In my head!"

"Wilfred!" Winston called. "It's everyone!"

* * *

"What is it?" the Doctor demanded. "Hypnotism? Mind control? You're grafting your thoughts inside them, is that it?"

"Ooh, that's way too easy!" the Master replied. "No, no, no. They're not gonna _think_ like me. They're gonna become me!"

The Master held out his arms.

"And…zero!" he yelled.

A brilliant light shot out of the machine and through the room. Everyone's head began to madly shake.

* * *

Donna stared in horror as Sylvia and Shawn's heads began to shake, almost in tears.

Their features began to flicker between the Master's and their own.

* * *

"He can't have!" the Doctor said fiercely.

"What is it?" Wilf asked, confused and afraid.

Finally everyone stopped, having been replaced by the Master.

* * *

Donna stared in shock and horrified at her mother and fiancée.

"But they've changed!" Donna called. "Granddad, it's Lily's brother! Are you with them? Tell me what's going on."

She grabbed her head, the stress becoming too much as information ran through her head.

"My head!" she moaned. "Oh, my head. Oh, my head!"

"Doctor!" Wilf yelled. "Lily!"

They looked over to see him almost in tears.

"Donna's in trouble!" he told them. "I think she's remembering!"

The Doctor turned to Lily.

"Go." He told her softly. "Keep Donna safe."

She stared at him, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Go." He told her.

She nodded before disappearing in a flash of gold.

They watched as the President turned into the Master.

"What is it?" Wilf demanded. "What have you done, you monster?"

The Master turned to look at Wilf.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you talking to me?" he asked.

Joshua/The Master tuned to him.

"Or to me?" he asked.

"Or to me?" Abigail/The Master asked.

"Or to me?" Danes/The Master asked.

"Or to us?" The guards/The Master asked.

"Breaking news." The Newsreader/The Master said. "I'm everyone. And everyone in the world is me!"

"I'm the President." Obama/The Master said. "President of the United States. Look at me."

The journalists, all of them The Master, applauded.

"Oh, financial solution." Obama/The Master said, laughing. "Deleted!"

The Master stepped out of the Gate and walked out to the other versions of himself in the room.

"The human race has always been your favorite, Doctor." He told him.

He stood there, helpless.

"But now there is no human race." The Master continued. "There is only the Master Race!"

He laughed as the Doctor looked on in horror.

_And so it came to pass, on Christmas Day, that the human race did cease to exist. But even then, the Master had no concept of his greater role in events, for this was far more than humanity's end._

* * *

"This day was the day upon which the whole of creation would change forever." The Lord President announced. "This was the day the Time Lords returned."

He stood in front of a large assembly of Time Lords, flanked by two standing Time Lords and two others kneeling.

"For Gallifrey!" he yelled.

"For Gallifrey!" the assembled Time Lords roared back.

"For victory!" he called.

"For victory!"

"For the end of time itself!" he screamed.

"For the end of time itself!"

A/N: And that's it for Part I, but we don't really care because we're going to keep going, right? Let me know what you thought.

And yes I know it's short.

Abbey


	24. The End of Time: Finding the Cause

Disclaimer: Please.

Ch. 24:

The Citadel was in ruins and all around was the wreckage of ships, Time Lord and Dalek alike.

The Lord President and several other Time Lords made their way along a hallway and over a raised platform. Massive doors slide open as they approached and they entered a conference room and the President takes his seat at the head of the table.

"What news of the Doctor?" he asked.

"Disappeared, my Lord President." One of the Time Lords replied.

"But we know his intention." A Time Lady said. "He still possesses the moment. And he'll use it to destroy Daleks and Time Lords alike."

"The Visionary confirms it." The Time Lord said.

The Visionary gave a little giggle before staring at them intently, her eyes wide.

"Burning, falling, all of it falling!" she said in a dreamy voice. "The black and pitch and screaming fire. So burning!"

"All her prophecies say the same." The Time Lord said. "That this is the last day of the Time War. That Gallifrey falls."

The Visionary looked back down, sketching circular images.

"That we die." The Time Lord continued, nodding. "Today."

The Lord President looked visibly upset.

"Ending." The Visionary said. "Ending. Ending! Ending!"

"Perhaps…" The Time Lady said slowly. "It's time. This is only the furthest edge of the Time War. But at its heart, millions die every second. Lost in bloodlust and insanity."

The Visionary looked at the Lord President who was looking at the woman in anger.

"With time itself resurrecting them to find new way of dying over and over again." The woman continued. "A travesty of life. Isn't it better to end it at last?"

The Lord President pushed his chair back and stood, furious.

"Thank you for your opinion!" he told her through clenched teeth.

He thrust out his left hand, revealing a metal gauntlet that shot blue power at the Time Lady, who screamed as she disintegrated into black smoke.

"I will not die!" the Lord President screamed, glaring at everyone around the table. "Do you hear me? A billion years of Time Lord history riding on our backs. I will not let this perish. I will not!"

He dropped back into his chair.

There was silence, broken only by the scratching of the Visionary's pen.

"There is, erm…" The Time Lord said hesitantly.

He picked up a scroll from beside the Visionary and nervously got up from his chair.

"There is one part of the prophecy, My Lord." He said. "Forgive me. I'm sorry. It's rather difficult to decipher. But it talks of three survivors. Beyond the final day. Three children of Gallifrey."

"Does it name them?" The Lord President asked desperately.

"It foresees two of them locked in their final confrontation." The Time Lord said. "The enmity of ages, which would suggest…"

"The Doctor!"The Lord President spat. "And the Master…But who is the third?"

"It seems to say that she is from Gallifrey, but not this Gallifrey." The Time Lord told him.

"What does it mean?" The Lord President demanded.

"It speaks of another world, another universe, where this woman, beloved of both the Doctor and the Master, ran from." The Time Lord replied.

"But does it name her?" The Lord President yelled.

"I'm sorry, My Lord." The Time Lord replied, wincing. "All it says is she is the bringer of fire and that her love of both men will rule the day."

"Excuse me, My Lord." Another Time Lord said. "But we used the Master's sister to bring him back to fight. Could the prophecy be speaking of her?"

"Perhaps." The other Time Lord replied. "But one word keeps being repeated, My Lord. One constant word. Earth."

"Earth." The Visionary said with increasing urgency. "Earth. Earth. Earth. Earth. Earth…"

"The planet Earth." The Time Lord told them. "Indigenous species: the human race."

The Lord President started at the table for a moment before a projection of the Earth appeared above them.

"Maybe that's where the answer lies." He said hopefully. "Our salvation! On Earth."

* * *

The Doctor was strapped to a table, a gag over his mouth. He didn't seem to be afraid so much as annoyed.

"Now then, I've got a planet to run." The Master said, leaning down to whisper in the Doctor's ear.

He turned to glance at Wilf, who was tied up in a chair.

"Is everybody ready?" he asked.

"Six billion, seven hundred and twenty-seven million, nine hundred and forty-nine thousand, three hundred and thirty-eight versions of us awaiting orders." Joshua/The Master replied.

The Master smirked at the Doctor.

"This is Washington." Obama/The Master called. "As President of the United States, I can transfer all the United Nations protocols to you immediately, putting you in charge of all the Earth's defenses."

"UNIT H.Q. Geneva reporting." The Head of UNIT/The Master called. "All under your command, sir."

He touched his hat, grinning.

"And this is the Central Military Commission here in Beijing, sir!" The Head of the Chinese Military/The Master said.

The Master winked at Wilf.

"With over 2.5 million soldiers, sir!" the Head of the Chinese Military/The Master continued. "Present arms!"

"Enough soldiers and weapons to turn this planet into a warship." The Master told the Doctor, who was staring at Wilf. "Nothing to say? Doctor? What's that? Pardon? Sorry?"

"You let him go, you swine!" Wilf yelled angrily.

"Oh, your Dad's still kicking up a fuss!" The Master said with a sigh.

"Yeah?" Wilf said defiantly. "Well, I'd be proud if I was!"

"Hush now!" The Master said, holding his finger to his lips. "Listen to your Master! Now, tell me, where has my dear sister gone?"

They were all distracted by the sound of a ringing phone.

"But th-that's a mobile!" the Master protested.

"Yeah, it's mine." Wilf said, chuckling awkwardly. "Let me turn it off."

"No, no, no, no, no, no." The Master told him. "I don't think you understand. Everybody on this planet is me. Except Lily, who doesn't need a phone to reach the Doctor. And since she's probably not phoning you and I'm not phoning you, so who the hell is that?"

"Nobody, I tell you, it's nothing, it's probably one of them ring back calls." Wilf told him weakly as The Master searched him.

"Ooh, look at this!" The Master said, holding up Wilf's gun. "Good man!"

He tossed the gun away and continued to go through Wilf's pockets. Finally, he pulled it out and stared at it.

"Donna." He said. "Who's Donna?"

"She's no one!" Wilf told him. "Just leave it!"

The Master activates the phone.

"Gramps, don't hang up, you've gotta help me!" Donna yelled. "I ran out! Everyone was changing!"

"Who is she?" the Master demanded. "Why didn't she change?"

"Gramps, I can't hear you." Donna cried.

"Well, it was this thing the Doctor and Lily did." Wilf said, nodding to the Doctor. "They did it to her. The meta-crisis."

"Oh, he loves playing with Earth Girls!" the Master said disdainfully. "Is this where you sent Alyssy?"

"Are you there?" Donna called. "Can you still hear me?"

"Find her!" the Master ordered. "Trace the call!"

"Trace the call!" Joshua/The Master ordered.

"Are you still there?" Donna called.

The call was triangulated.

"Can you hear me?" she repeated.

The Master turned the phone on speaker and ran over to Wilf.

"Say goodbye to the freak, Granddad!" he told him.

"Donna, get out of there!" Wilf yelled.

* * *

Donna ran down an alley and screamed when Lily appeared in front of her in a flash of gold.

"Give me the phone." Lily ordered.

"Where the hell have you been?" Donna demanded. "I've been trying to reach you for weeks!"

"Give me the damn phone, Donna!" Lily yelled back.

She handed the phone over.

"Master." She called.

* * *

"What did you do, take a jaunt around the planet?" he demanded.

"I'm so sorry I didn't follow your time table." She told him sarcastically. "You should've left Donna alone."

"She's on Wessex Lane, Chiswick." Joshua/The Master called. "Everyone on Wessex Lane, red alert."

"Donna, Lily, run!" Wilf called.

"Master, if you hurt the Doctor, I will rip out your hearts, do you hear me?" Lily called.

"How are you going to do that, dear sister?" the Master demanded. "You can't even kill me when I'm destroying the world you love."

"He's my mate." Lily told him softly. "There is nothing I will not do to protect him or avenge him. Just ask the Doctor what I did to the Daleks. If you hurt him, being my brother will not protect you."

* * *

"Lily!" Donna called, clutching her head as Masters surrounded them.

"Call off your goons." Lily ordered her brother.

"Um, I think not." The Master replied.

"Lily!" Donna cried, falling to the ground.

Lily keeled next to Donna and grabbed her friend.

A wave of gold light rolled away from her and hit the Masters, knocking them into unconsciousness.

Lily raised the phone back to her ear.

"You'll have to do better than that, big brother." Lily told him before throwing the phone at the wall and shattering it.

"Time to go." She told Donna.

She grabbed her hand and they disappeared in a flash of gold.

* * *

The Master stared at the phone for a moment before throwing it across the room.

After a moment, he stalked over to the Doctor and ripped off the gag.

"That's better!" he said lightly. "Hello! But really-did you think Lily and I would leave our best friend and not protect her?"

"Doctor?" Wilf called anxiously. "What happened?"

"She's all right." The Doctor told him as the Master glared at him. "Lily'll keep her safe. Promise. She'll be fine."

"Tell me, where's your TARDIS?" the Master demanded softly.

"You could be so wonderful." The Doctor told him sadly.

"Where is it?" the Master demanded.

"You're a genius." The Doctor told him. "Stone cold brilliant, you are. I swear, you really are! But you could be so much more. You can be beautiful with a mind like that. We can travel the stars. The three of us. Lily would love it and it would be my honor. 'Cause you don't need to own the universe-just see it. To have the privilege of seeing all of time and space…that's ownership enough."

The Master hesitated, swallowing hard.

"W-would it stop then?" he asked. "The noise in my head?"

"We can help." The Doctor told him.

The Master shook his head, his eyes bright.

"Don't know what I'd be without that noise." He said.

"I wonder what I'd be without you." The Doctor told him.

"Yeah." The Master said, sniffing slightly.

"Lily wouldn't be here without you." The Doctor told him.

The Master shook his head.

"Not me." He told him. "I failed her."

"She doesn't believe that." The Doctor told him. "She still loves you. She mourned you when she lost you last time."

The Master looked away.

"What does that mean?" Wilf asked. "What noise?"

The Master turned and walked slowly towards him.

"It began on Gallifrey." He told the man. "As children. Not that you'd call it childhood! More of a life of…duty. Eight years old. I was taken for initiation. To stare into the untempered schism."

"What does that mean?" Wilf asked.

"It's a gab in the fabric of reality." The Doctor told him softly. "You can see into the Time Vortex itself…and it hurts."

The Doctor watched the Master sympathetically, who looked bitter and angry.

"And I heard it." The Master continued. "Calling to me. Drums. The never-ending drums."

* * *

"The untempered schism." The Lord President said. "That's when it began."

"History says the Master heard a rhythm." The Time Lord said. "A torment that stayed with him for the rest of his life."

"A drumbeat." The Lord President said. "A warrior's march."

"A symptom of insanity, my Lord." The Time Lord agreed.

The Visionary repeatedly tapped the four beat rhythm on the table with her fingernail.

"The rhythm of four." The Lord President said. "The heartbeat of a Time Lord."

* * *

The Master was sitting in a chair with his head back.

"Listen to it." He said, glancing at the Doctor. "Listen!"

"Then let's find it." The Doctor said. "You and me and Lily."

"Except…" the Master said, realization hitting. "Oh. Oh, wait a minute! Oh, yes! Oh, that's good!"

"What?" the Doctor asked, worried. "What is?"

"The noise exists within my head." The Master said. "And now within six billion heads! Everyone on Earth can hear it! Imagine-ohhh! Oh, yes!"

The Doctor watched him in concern as The Master began laughing and suddenly flashed to the skeletal figure again.

A roaring noise was heard as the Master suddenly sank to his knees.

"The Gate wasn't enough!" the Doctor told him. "You're still dying!"

"This body was born out of death." The Master told him. "All it can do is die."

He suddenly straightened.

"But what did you say to me?" he asked. "Back in the wasteland? You said the end of time."

"We said something is returning." The Doctor told him, pleading. "We were shown a prophecy. That's why we need your help!"

"What if I'm part of it?" the Master asked. "Don't you see? The drumbeat is calling from so far away! From the end of time itself! And now it's been amplified six billion times! Triangulate all those signals! I could find its source! Oh, Doctor. That's what your prophecy was…Me!"

* * *

Lily and Donna appeared in the TARDIS.

"Whew." Lily said, leading Donna to the jumpseat. "Wasn't sure that was going to work!"

Donna slapped her.

"What was that for?" Lily demanded, rubbing her arm.

"You weren't sure that was going to work?" Donna shot back.

"What? I've never tried to take someone with me!" Lily told her. "Granted I'm not sure it would work with anyone else. But you've got that little piece of me in you. So, voila, here we are!"

"So what happens now?" Donna asked.

"You stay here while I go rescue your granddad and my moronic mate from my crazy ass brother." Lily told her.

"Like hell I'm staying here!" Donna told her. "You guys should have told me what was going on!"

"That's exactly why we didn't tell you." Lily told her, sighing. "You have to stay out of this. We won't risk you. You have to stay here. Stay safe."

Donna tried to protest, but Lily held up a hand.

"No argument." She told her. "The TARDIS is one second out of sync with time. She'll protect you."

She leaned down and hugged her friend tightly.

"Congratulations on the engagement." She whispered.

"Damn him." Donna said, chuckling. "Just couldn't keep his bloody mouth shut."

Lily laughed, pulling away.

"Love you, Donna." She told her.

"Love you, too, Lils." Donna replied. "Stay safe."

Lily smiled sadly before disappearing in a flash, leaving Donna alone.

A/N: So, chapter one or chapter six, depending on how you take it. Keep the name suggestions coming, go take the poll, and leave a review.

Abbey


	25. The End of Time: Make a Wish

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, now would I? Think about it people.

Ch. 25:

The Master stalked over to the Doctor and slapped him, causing the Doctor to close his eyes in pain before swallowing hard.

"Where's the TARDIS?" the Master demanded threateningly.

"Just stop." The Doctor begged. "Just think!"

"Kill him!" the Master ordered, pointing at Wilf.

A guard turned off the safety of his gun and marched across the room to Wilf, the Master following.

"I need that technology, Doctor!" the Master said. "Tell me where it is, or the old man is dead."

"Don't tell him!" Wilf yelled defiantly.

"I'll kill him right now!" The Master threatened.

Wilf tensed, staring at the Master.

The Doctor looked at him a moment before speaking.

"Actually," he said, his tone light and mocking, "the most impressive thing about you is that, after all this time, you're still bone dead stupid."

The Master stared at him.

"Take aim." He ordered.

"You've got six billion pairs of eyes," the Doctor told him, looking at the ceiling, "but you still can't see the obvious, can you?"

"Like what?" The Master demanded.

"That guard is one inch too tall." The Doctor replied.

The Master spun around and the guard hit him in the head with the butt of his rifle, knocking him out.

The guard removed his helmet to reveal Rossiter.

"Oh my God, I've hit him!" he exclaimed. "I've never hit anyone in my life!"

The door flew open and Addams ran in.

"Well, come on!" she ordered, running to Wilf's chair and cutting the bonds. "We need to get out of here fast!"

"God bless the Cactuses." Wilf said.

"That's Cacti!" the Doctor corrected.

"That's racist!" Rossiter told them indignantly.

"This prophecy of yours, Doctor." Joshua/The Master called through the video link, fiddling with his cuffs. "Where did it come from?"

He only received silence.

"Doctor?" he called again.

"Come on!" Addams ordered, removing Wilf's bonds. "We've got to get out!"

"There's too many buckles and straps!" Rossiter told her, struggling to get the Doctor free.

"Just…wheel him!" she said, waving her hand.

"No." the Doctor said, panicking as Rossiter did just that. "No! No! Get me out! No! N-Don't! Don't! Lily! Lily, get me out of this thing!"

He got no reply from his mate.

Rossiter pushed him past the unconscious Master, but this took him past the camera.

"What's going on?" Joshua/The Master demanded. "Doctor!"

"Which way?" Rossiter asked as he pushed the Doctor along the hallway.

"This way!" Addams replied, striding ahead.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor said urgently. "The other way! Other way! Back to my TARDIS!"

"I know what I'm doing!" Addams told him.

"No, no, no, no." the Doctor begged. "Just-just listen to meeee!"

* * *

The Master was slowly getting to his feet, clutching his head in pain as other Masters entered the room.

There was a flash of light and Lily appeared, looking around before spotting her brother.

"Hey there!" she said lightly. "Wrong place. Sorry."

He grabbed for her, but with another flash she was gone.

"Find them!" he ordered. "Find them!"

* * *

"Not the stairs!" the Doctor yelled desperately. "Not the stairs!"

Addams ran down the stairs and Rossiter pushed the Doctor down them with Wilf following.

"No!" The Doctor shouted. "Worst rescue ever!"

* * *

"Underneath the gate bridge, sir!" a Master reported.

"Basement!" Joshua/The Master shouted.

"Yes, sir!" a Guard/The Master replied.

They followed the Master down into the basement.

* * *

"Just-just stop and listen to me!" the Doctor told them.

Addams hurried them all towards a computer terminal.

Suddenly guards/The Master came down the opposite stairs, trapping them.

As the guards prepared to fire, the Master arrived, grinning.

"Gotcha!" he called.

"You think so?" Addams asked.

She brought up her arm and pressed her watch, ignoring the Doctor's protests.

"No, no, no, no, don't!" he shouted.

They reappeared on an alien ship with the Doctor still struggling to get free.

"Now get me out of this thing!" he ordered.

"Don't say thanks, will you?" Addams replied, annoyed.

There was a flash of gold and Lily appeared.

"Where the hell are we?" she demanded, looking around. "You were moving so fast, I couldn't catch up till now."

"Get me out of here!" the Doctor ordered, panicking. "He's not gonna just let us go!"

Lily reached out and the straps dissolved.

Meanwhile, Wilf, completely stunned, moved towards a window and looked down on Earth.

"Thank you!" The Doctor said, quickly kissing her forehead. "You couldn't have done that ten minutes ago?"

"Excuse me." She told him. "It takes a lot out of me to jump all over Earth!"

"Oh, my goodness me!" Wilf exclaimed. "We're in space!"

"See?" Lily demanded crossly. "I'm now adding space to my list of places I've had to jump! Can I get a little respect?"

* * *

The Master was typing frantically on a computer.

"Open the teleport and follow him!" another Master ordered.

* * *

The Doctor quickly whipped out the sonic screwdriver and leapt over to one of the computers, zapping it and sending off a shower of sparks.

* * *

The Master ran from one part of the computer to another, searching for them.

"It's been closed!" he muttered. "But they're still up there. Target practice!"

He ran back to the gate room.

* * *

"Where's your flight deck?" the Doctor demanded.

"But we're safe, we're a hundred thousand miles above the Earth!" Addams protested.

"And he's got ever single missile on the damn planet!" Lily shot back. "Do you really think he's gonna sit back and let us go?"

"….good point." Addams replied.

She ran off, leading them off, Wilf following last.

"But we're in _space_!" he exclaimed.

They all ran along a dark corridor, Wilf huffing along behind them.

* * *

The Master ran into the gate room and straight to the wall screen.

"Turn everything you've got to the skies!" he ordered. "And prime the missiles!"

"Open the radar, maximum scan!" The Head of UNIT/ The Master ordered.

"Yes, sir." Four soldiers/Masters replied.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, Addams, Rossiter ran into the flight deck, followed by Wilf a few seconds later.

The Doctor and Lily ran to one set of controls, while Addams and Rossiter ran to the main controls, booting them up quickly.

"We've got to close it down!" the Doctor told them.

"No chance, mate." Rossiter replied. "We're going home!"

"We're just a salvage team." Addams told him. "Local politics has got nothing to do with us, not unless there's a carnival. Sooner we get back to Vinvocci space, the better."

"We're not leaving." The Doctor ordered.

He held up the sonic screwdriver and the computer banks exploded, making everyone but him and Lily, duck.

The lights of the ship blinked off, one by one.

The Doctor held a finger to his lips.

"Sssssssh." He said quietly.

In the dark, Lily reached over and wrapped her hand in his, holding it tightly.

* * *

The room was tense as the Masters waited for the radar to sweep the Earth and surrounding areas.

"Anything?" The Head of UNIT/The Master demanded.

* * *

Everyone in the ship held their breath, glancing at one another, as the ship around them creaked.

* * *

Finally, a solider/The Master looked up.

"Sorry, sir." He reported. "Nothing."

"Lost him." The Head of UNIT/The Master said.

"What about the teleport coordinates?" The Master asked.

"He's cut the link, sir." The Chief Guard/The Master reported. "No trace, all dead. Still. Open fire!"

The guards all shot at the computer banks.

"No way back, now." The Chief Guard/The Master reported.

* * *

Rossiter was flicking switches, trying to get the computers to come back to life while Addams peered out the window at Earth.

Finally, she rounded on the Doctor and Lily.

"No sign of any missiles." She said sarcastically. "No sign of anything! You've wrecked the place!"

"Would you rather he wrecked it, or my brother shot it out of the sky?" Lily shot back.

"The engines are burned out. All we've got is auxiliary lights." Rossiter reported, flicking them on. "Everything else is kaput. We can't move. We're stuck in orbit."

"Thanks to you." Addams said to the Doctor. "You _idiot_!"

She stormed off, Lily making a rude sign at her back.

"Yeah, I know you, though." Wilf said, trustingly. "I bet you've got a plan, haven't you? Eh? Come on! You've always got a trick up your sleeve! A nice little bit of the ol' 'Doctor-flim-flam haa-ha' sort of thing! Hey?"

The Doctor just looked at him.

"Oh blimey." He finished.

Lily turned to the Doctor and touched his cheek.

"He hit you." She said softly.

"I'm okay." He told her.

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down so his forehead was resting against hers.

"It's going to be alright." She whispered. "We'll figure it out."

"How do you know?" he sighed. "How can you have such faith?"

"Because I believe in you." She told him simply.

He sighed again and wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck.

_I don't know what to do._ He told her.

_You take it one step at a time._ She replied. _Step one: keep the Master from killing us. So far so good._

He chuckled sadly.

"I love you." She whispered.

He sighed and held her tighter.

"I love you, too." He told her softly.

The two Time Lords held each other as night fell on the Earth.

* * *

The Master walked through the Immortality Gate, his fingers steepled and pressed to his lips, his mind deep in thought.

Finally he looked up at Joshua/The Master.

"Night has fallen." He said. "Are we ready?"

"Every single one of us is prepared." Joshua/The Master told him.

"Then we listen!" the Master ordered. "All of us. Across the world."

He closed his eyes.

"Just listen!" he said.

All of the other Masters closed their eyes as well.

"Concentrate." He told them. "Find the signal."

The sound of the four beats became louder and the Master's eyes snapped open.

"There!" he said. "The sound is tangible. Someone could only have designed this! But who?"

* * *

The Time Lords still sat at the table.

"The signal has been sent." The Time Lord reported. "The simple task of four beats, transmitted back through time and implanted in the Master's mind as a child."

"Then we have a link to where the Master is right now!" The Lord President said, satisfied.

"But we're still trapped inside the Time Lock, sir." The Time Lord said nervously. "The-the link is nothing more than…a thought! An idea!"

"Then we need something to make the contact physical!" the Lord President said angrily. "Something…so simple…"

"So small and shining." The Visionary said. "Shining bright and cold. A tiny, tiny star falling. Falling. Burning. Burning. Burning!"

The Lord President was handed a massive rod with a shining silver jewel on the end of it.

"Something small enough to follow the link." He said as he looked at the rod. "And if…"

He pulled out the jewel at the end.

"…this were on Earth." He finished.

He hurled the diamond at the projection of Earth.

* * *

On the Vinvocci ship, the Doctor pulled out various wires and cables, trying to get the ship started again, while Lily stood a little ways away, looking out at the planet.

"Doctor." She called.

He looked up to see a shooting star over the planet.

Lily looked back at him.

"Something tells me that isn't a good sign." She said softly.

* * *

Joshua/The Master looked up at the sky.

"Sir, it's coming from above!" he called.

The Master also looked up.

"It's coming from the sky!" he exclaimed.

All the Masters ran outside and the Master pointed up at the shooting star.

"There!" he yelled. "Find it. Get out there and find it!"

"Yes, sir!" the Guards/The Master replied.

* * *

There was a loud boom and the ground shook as it crashed to Earth.

Jeeps pulled up beside a blazing pile of rubble and guards/Masters got out and began directing lights at the ground, searching.

Finally, one of the guards spotted the jewel on the ground.

"It's a diamond, sir!" he reported. "Oh, the most impossible diamond! You won't believe this…It's a white point star!"

A smile flickered over the Master's face as tears formed in his eyes. He looked up and started to laugh in pure joy.

He flashed between normal and skeletal and back.

* * *

"Doctor?" Wilf called faintly as he wandered through the ship. "Lily? Hello? Hello?"

He peered into the shadows.

"Is that you?" he called.

He walked towards a white light at the end of the passage.

"Doctor? Lily?" he called nervously. "Anyone? Anyone? Oh, I think I'm lost!"

The woman appeared beside him.

"And yet you are found." She told him.

Wilf stared at her in confusion and fear.

"Events are closing." She said. "The day is almost upon us. But tell me, old soldier, did you take arms?"

Wilf pulled the gun out of his pocket.

"I brought this." He said. "But…what am I supposed to do?"

"This is the Doctor's final battle." The woman said, her face full of emotion. "The end of his life. And I'm afraid the Phoenix cannot help him. He must stand at arms, or lose himself, his mate, and all this world to the end of time."

"But he…he never carries guns." Wilf told her. "He doesn't-didn't…Who are you?"

"I was lost." She replied. "So very long ago."

Wilf looked down at the gun, wrapping his fingers around it so tightly, his knuckles were white, but he kept his finger off the trigger.

He looked up again to find the woman gone. He looked around for her, raising the gun slightly, as if to protect himself.

* * *

Lily sighed and sat next to the Doctor.

"Jack's not on Earth." She said suddenly.

"What?" the Doctor asked, surprised.

"That's why I took so long." She explained. "I thought the template might not have affected him, so I went looking for him, hoping he could help us. I found him in a bar in Centuri Minor."

"What was he doing there?" the Doctor asked.

"We shouldn't have run." She said softly. "While we were out of touch, a race of aliens came after the children of Earth. I only had a few minutes, so I don't know what all happened, but Ianto's dead, as well as Jack's grandson."

"Oh, Lily." The Doctor said as a tear slipped down his mate's cheek. "I'm so sorry."

"If we hadn't been trying so hard to avoid everything, we might have been able to save him." She said, crying. "Jack would barely talk to me because he tried to call and I didn't answer. We ran and now he's running."

She turned and buried her face in his chest, sobbing as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Everything's falling apart." She cried.

The Doctor held her, hushing her gently as she cried. Finally, the tears slowed and stopped, but she didn't move away from him.

"Promise me you won't leave me." She whispered.

The Doctor's eyes filled with tears.

"Lily…" he said softly.

"Promise me." She interrupted.

He sighed and kissed her hair.

"I promise." He said softly.

He just hoped it was a promise he could keep.

A/N: Oh forget it. If you want to know what chapter it is of The End of Time, you can count. This is going to kill me, I just know it. Anyway, let me know what you thought.  
Abbey


	26. The End of Time: Guess Who

Disclaimer: I love the Doctor and I will stalk him until he realizes that he loves me too.

Ch. 26:

The Doctor was sitting with his glasses on, fiddling with some wires as Lily stood at the window, looking out over Earth.

Wilf entered hesitantly and they both turned to look at him.

"Aye-aye." He said. "Got this old tub mended?"

"Just trying to fix the heating." The Doctor replied.

Wilf groaned slightly as he sat down nearby.

"I've always dreamt of a view like that." He said, waving to the window.

The two Time Lords smiled slightly at him as he celebrated.

"It is amazing, isn't it?" Lily said, turning back to the window.

"Hee-he!" Wilf exclaimed. "I'm an astronaut! There's dawn over England-look! Brand new day." He paused. "My wife's buried down there. I might never visit her again now."

The Doctor looked up as Wilf turned to him.

"D'you think he changed them?" the man asked him. "In their graves?"

"I'm sorry." The Doctor said sadly.

"No, not your fault." Wilf replied, shaking his head.

"Isn't it?" the Doctor questioned.

Wilf watched him for a moment before looking back at Earth, pointing at it.

"Ooh, 1948, I was over there." He said. "End of the mandate in Palestine. Private Mott. Skinny little idiot I was. Stood on this rooftop…"

The Doctor sighed, removing his glasses.

Lily turned and moved to sit next to him, linking her arm through his and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"In the middle of a skirmish." Wilf continued. "Like a blizzard, all them bullets in the air. The world gone mad. Heh. Yeah, you don't wanna listen to an old man's tales, do you?"

"Both Lily and I are older than you." The Doctor told him.

"You were serious?" Wilf asked Lily, making her smile.

"I'm 906." The Doctor told him, sounding amused.

"222." Lily said.

"What, really though?" Wilf replied, wonderingly.

"Yeah." The Doctor said, nodding.

"Nine hundred years!" Wilf marveled. "And two hundred! We must look like insects to you."

"I think you look like giants." The Doctor told him quietly.

Lily nodded her agreement.

Wilf reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out the gun, holding it out to the Doctor.

"Listen." He said. "I…I want you to have this. I kept it all this time, and I thought…"

The Doctor drew back a little, shaking his head.

"No." he said.

"No, but…" Wilf fumbled. "If you take it, you could…"

"No." The Doctor repeated firmly.

Wilf lowered the gun, staring at it.

"You had the gun in the mansion." The Doctor told him understandingly. "You could have shot the Master there and then."

"Too scared, I s'pose." Wilf replied.

"I'd be proud." The Doctor told him.

"Of what?" Wilf asked, confused.

"If you _were_ my dad." The Doctor told him, smiling slightly, his eyes bright.

"Now come on, don't start." Wilf told him. "But you said…you were told 'he will knock four times' and then you die. Well, that's him, isn't it? The Master? Lily's brother? The noise in his head. The Master is gonna kill you."

"Yeah." The Doctor said softly, acceptingly.

Lily closed her eyes in pain.

"Then kill him first." Wilf said, offering the gun again.

Lily's eyes popped open.

"That's how The Master started." She told the man softly.

Wilf lowered the gun again.

"It's not like we're innocent." The Doctor said, motioning to Lily and himself. "We've both taken lives. But I got worse-I got clever. Manipulated people into taking their own. Sometimes I think the Time Lord lives too long."

He eyed the gun, shaking his head.

"I can't." he told the man. "I just can't."

"If the Master dies, what happens to all the people?" Wilf asked helplessly.

"I don't know." The Doctor said, shaking his head.

"Doctor, what happens?" Wilf demanded.

"The template snaps." Lily said finally.

"What, they go back to human?" Wilf demanded.

The Doctor nodded.

"They're alive?" he continued. "And human? Then don't you dare, sir! Don't you dare put him before them! Now you take this. That's an order, Doctor. Take the gun. You take the gun and save your life. And p-please don't die, you're the most wonderful man on Earth. I don't want you to die. And you can't leave Lily alone."

The Doctor looked at him, his eyes full of sympathy and loss, and Wilf reached over and took his hand, wrapping it around the gun.

The Doctor pushed it away, tears in his eyes, as tears fell down Lily's cheeks.

"Never." He told the man.

A sob ripped itself from Wilf throat as the Doctor turned back to his mate, leaning his head against hers.

"A star fell from the sky." Came the Master's voice.

Wilf gasped, but the Doctor and Lily looked up calmly.

* * *

The Master stood in front of the Gate, his arms folded across his chest.

"Don't you want to know where from?" he asked.

* * *

Addams and Rossiter, who were working on the ship, straightened at the sound of his voice.

"Because now it makes sense, Doctor." He continued.

"It's an open broadcast." Addams said, pointing warningly at Rossiter. "Don't reply or they'll know where we are!"

* * *

"The whole of my life, my destiny." The Master said. "The star was a diamond. And the diamond is a white point star! A sister to the stone my dear sister wears around her neck even now."

The Doctor moved suddenly and Lily's hand flew up to grasp the fire point diamond around her neck.

"And I have worked all night to sanctify that gift." The Master told them. "Now the star is mine. I can increase the signal. And use it as a lifeline!"

* * *

Two scientists/Masters were working on a machine holding the white point star.

"D'you get it now?" The Master continued. "D'you see? Keep watching, Doctor, Alyssy. This should be spectacular! Over and out."

* * *

The Doctor was breathing heavily and Lily looked terrified.

"Wh-what's he on about?" Wilf asked. "Wh-what's he doing? D-Doctor, Lily, what does that mean?"

"He can't!" Lily whispered. "Doesn't he have any idea what that would mean?"

"The white point star is only found on one planet-" The Doctor told Wilf. "Gallifrey! Which means…It's the Time Lords. The Time Lords are returning."

"He's insane." Lily gasped. "He's out of mind. He can't do this."

"Well, I mean, that's good, isn't it?" Wilf asked eagerly. "I mean, that's your people!"

The Doctor suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the gun, his finger sliding around the trigger, and Lily's eyes were quickly flashing between gold and grey.

The Doctor stared at the gun before leaping to his feet.

* * *

"Open up the nuclear bolt and fuse the power lines to maximum." The Master ordered.

He eyed the white point star as one scientist/The Master entered the glass cubicle and released the other.

"Nuclear bolt accelerating, sir!" he reported.

"Send the signal back and the link becomes a pathway!" The Master told them.

He placed the diamond in the machine, which immediately powered up.

He listened to the sound of power and the echo of the four beats and stretched out his arms, waiting for something to happen.

"Come home!" he yelled.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily arrived on the flight deck just in time to hear a high pitched version of the beats.

"What's that?" Addams asked.

Rossiter checked the computer.

"Coming from Earth." Rossiter said. "It's on every single wavelength."

He and Addams looked down at Earth, where Lily and the Doctor stared, terrified.

* * *

The Lord President looked satisfied.

"Contact!" he said, satisfied. "At last!"

* * *

The Master closed his eyes as if hearing the words.

"We have contact." He whispered.

* * *

The Lord President marched up to the podium in front of the Council.

"Now the High Council of Time Lords must vote:" He called. "Whether we die here today or return to the waking world and complete the ultimate sanction. For this hour when either Gallifrey falls or Gallifrey rises!"

"Gallifrey rises!" the Time Lords roared.

"Gallifrey rises!" The Lord President yelled.

* * *

On the ship, the Doctor and Lily were running around trying to fix all the things the Doctor had broken.

"But you said your people were dead!" Wilf protested. "Past tense!"

"Inside the Time War." Lily told him as the Doctor continued to run around. "But the war was Time Locked. Sealed inside a time bubble, but not really a bubble, but just think a bubble. Nothing can get in a Time Lock and nothing can get out. But that's the thing-nothing can get in or out, except for something that was already there!"

"The signal!" Wilf said in realization. "Since he was kid!"

"If they can follow the signal, they can escape!" the Doctor said frantically. "Before they die!"

"Well, then, big reunion!" Wilf said. "We'll have a party!"

"There will be no party." The Doctor said grimly.

"More like an execution." Lily added.

"But I've heard you talk about your people like they're wonderful!" Wilf told them.

"That's how we choose to remember them!" the Doctor shot back. "The Time Lords of old. But then they went to war! An endless war! And it changed them. Right to the core."

"I was there when it began." Lily told him. "The Lord President took the High Priestess and forced her to look further and further into the future until her mind broke and she wasn't the High Priestess anymore, but the Visionary, insane and broken. He took my teacher, my mentor, and he destroyed her just so he could fight a war we couldn't possibly win!"

"You've seen our enemies, Wilf." The Doctor said. "The Time Lords are more dangerous than any of them!"

"Time Lords." Addams said dismissively. "What Lords? Anyone want to explain?"

"Right, yes, you." The Doctor said, pointing a finger at her. "This is a salvage ship, yes? You're trawling the asteroid field for junk?"

"Yeah, what about it?" she asked.

"So you've got asteroid lasers!" Lily said, catching up to what he was thinking.

"Yeah, but they're all frazzled." Rossiter said.

The Doctor flipped a switch.

"Consider them unfrazzled." He told him.

The doors suddenly flew open and the Doctor pointed at Addams.

"You there-what's your name?" he demanded. "I'm going to need you on navigation! And you," he pointed at Rossiter, "get in the laser pod!"

Rossiter did as ordered, but Addams didn't move.

The Doctor lunged at Wilf, who leaned back, clearly startled.

"Laser number two." He told the man softly. "The old soldier's got one more battle."

Wilf tapped his arm and got up, a faint hint of a smile on his face.

"This ship can't move." Addams told the Doctor and Lily slowly, as if they were stupid. "It's dead."

"Fixed the 'heating'!" the Doctor told her scornfully.

He threw two massive switches and the lights turned on with an electronic hum.

"But they can see us!" Addams protested.

"You let me take care of my brother's little toys." Lily told her, giving a feral grin as her eyes burned gold. "Y'all just worry about the little ones that might slip past me."

Addams took a step back, obviously scared of the other woman.

* * *

"Sir!" The Head of UNIT/The Master called. "We've got a fix. A hundred and five thousand miles in orbit."

* * *

Addams regained some of her composure, turning to the Doctor.

"This my ship and you're not moving it!" she told him firmly. "Step away from the wheel!"

"There's an old Earth saying, Captain." The Doctor told her.

"Kick the tires and light the fires?" Lily suggested, her southern accent kicking it up a notch as she grinned at him.

He grinned back.

"Good, but no." he said. "It's a phrase of great power and wisdom and consolation to the soul in times of need."

"What's that then?" Addams asked, uncaringly.

The Doctor stared ahead determinedly.

"Allons-y!"

A/N: Oh my god, we're coming to the end. I can't watch. Oh wait, I'm writing this aren't I? Damn that sucks! Okay, so I know a lot of you want me to save Ten, but I'm afraid that part will not be changed. I'm sorry! *runs and hides under her desk*….Is it safe to come out? I promise there will be twists though and that you will not be disappointed even as you come for my head.

Remember to review everyone!

Abbey


	27. The End of Time: The Return

Disclaimer: I don't wanna talk about it.

Ch. 27:

"He's moving, sir." A soldier/The Master reported.

"Get a fix on him!" The Head of UNIT/The Master ordered.

"He's moving very fast." The soldier/The Master told him.

* * *

The Doctor was fighting the controls as he sent the ship at the Earth.

"Come on!" the Doctor said through gritted teeth.

The ship began to glow as they entered the atmosphere.

"Oh, no." Rossiter said.

"Look at what you've done!" Addams shouted. "You're…flipping mad!"

"Isn't it fun?" Lily shot back.

"You two, what'd I say?" The Doctor demanded, looking at Rossiter and Wilf. "Lasers!"

"What for?" Rossiter demanded.

"Because I can't possibly knock down the missiles while keeping this hunk of junk from burning up." Lily told him.

Rossiter leapt forward and headed for the lasers.

"You do realize we're about to fight off an entire planet, right?" Lily pointed out to her mate.

"I'm trying not to think about it." He replied.

* * *

"All NATO unit defenses coordinated, sir." The Head of UNIT/The Master reported. "Awaiting your command."

"Open comms." The Master ordered.

"Comms open." A soldier/The Master reported.

"Alyssy, I'm giving you one last chance." The Master called. "Don't make me kill you."

* * *

"Hey Koschei." Lily called back. "Why don't you bite me?"

"Are you trying to annoy him further?" Addams demanded.

She shrugged.

"He's my brother and I'm shoving it in his face that I'm not choosing him." Lily told her. "It's not like I can actually make it worse."

* * *

The Master gritted his teeth.

"Fine." He replied. "I don't need _you or him! _Any second now we'll have Time Lords to spare! Take them out! Launch missiles!"

"Launch missiles!" The Head of UNIT/The Master ordered.

"Missiles launching in three…" a soldier/Master called. "…two…one….zero."

* * *

The missiles launched as the ship swooped in over the sea.

As Wilf struggled into the laser pod, Rossiter did the same.

"Hey!" Wilf called, whistling to get Rossiter's attention. "How does this thing work?"

"The tracking's automatic, just deploy the trigger on the joystick!" Rossiter yelled back.

Wilf started at the machine began to move beneath him.

"Whoa!" he yelled. "Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa! Wha-"

Missiles came straight at the ship.

"We've got incoming!" Addams called.

"Look at them!" Rossiter gibbered. "Oh my God!"

"I'm gonna protect you as best I can," Lily called, "but I won't get them all."

A wave of gold rolled away from the ship hitting first one, than another missile, turning them to dust.

Lily leaned against the controls, breathing heavily.

"Maybe jumping to Centuari Minor wasn't such a good idea." She muttered.

"Open fire!" The Doctor ordered.

Wilf began firing.

"Come on, Wilf!" he called to the man.

One of Wilf's shots hit the remaining missile.

"What?" he said, confused. "What? Woo-hoo! Oh, I wish Donna could see me now!"

* * *

"Second wave!" The Head of UNIT/The Master ordered. "Launch missiles!"

"Yes, sir!" came the answer.

* * *

"Oh!" the Doctor said, looking at the missiles heading their way.

"And there's more!" Addams called. "Sixteen of them!"

The Doctor grimaced and Addams waved her hand in the air.

"Oh, and another sixteen!" she added.

The second wave headed towards the ship and again a wave of gold rolled away, taking out a portion of the missiles.

Lily collapsed to the ground, gasping.

"Go to the red gun lasers!" the Doctor ordered, glancing at his mate.

Addams ran out of room as Lily pulled herself back to her feet.

"You two, open fire!" the Doctor yelled. "Now!"

Rossiter and Wilf both began shootin desperately as the Doctor veered the ship from side to side.

"No, you don't!" Lily yelled, destroying another three missiles that almost hit them.

"Come on!" Wilf yelled.

"Come on!" The Doctor screamed. "Fire!"

Lily waved her hand and two missiles crashed into each other, blowing out the ships windows, forcing Lily and the Doctor to protect themselves from the flying glass by ducking.

Finally, all the missiles were destroyed.

"Wow!" Wilf exclaimed.

"Yes!" Rossiter yelled.

"Lock the navigation!" the Doctor ordered.

"On to what?" Addams demanded.

"England!" he replied. "The Naismith mansion!"

* * *

"They're heading straight for you!" the Head of UNIT/The Master called.

"But too late!" The Master replied, stretching out his arms. "They are coming!"

* * *

The Lord President walked up to the other Time Lord.

"The vote is taken." He told him. "Only two stand against-and will stand as monument to their shame like the weeping angels of old!"

Behind them stood two Time Lords with their faces covered.

"Now the vanguard stands prepared as the children of Gallifrey return to the Universe!" The Lord President continued. "To Earth!"

A bright white light enveloped them.

* * *

The Master laughed victoriously as the Gate also began to glow white.

* * *

The Doctor was struggling to control the spaceship.

"Destination?" he asked.

"Fifty clicks and rising." Addams replied. "We've locked onto the house! We _are_ going to stop, though?"

He didn't answer.

"Doctor?" she demanded. "We _are _ going to _stop_?"

The Doctor gave no sign that that was his plan.

* * *

The Master was still rejoicing as blurred figures began to come into view.

"Closer!" he shouted. "And closer! And closer!"

* * *

Wilf struggled back into the flight deck.

"Doctor?" he called. "Doctor, you said you were gonna die!"

"He said what?" Addams screeched.

"But is that all of us?" Wilf asked, ignoring her. "I won't stop you, sir, but is this it?"

The Doctor didn't aknowledge that he'd heard anything. He just kept going as Lily moved to his side, both their faces grim.

_If you die…_ she told him, leaving no doubt as to the end of the sentence.

* * *

The Master stared into the white light, trying to make out the figures.

Joshua/The Master was staring at the window.

"I think I should warn you…" he said.

"Not now!" the Master told him, waving impatiently

* * *

At the last second, the Doctor pulled the ship out of its dive before running to an access cover and pulling it open. Lily followed him and he pulled out the gun.

"There's no convincing you?" he asked her.

"Where you go, I go." She replied. "Be it heaven or hell."

"I'm betting on the latter." He told her.

She shrugged.

"Better parties." She told him.

He glanced at Wilf before they both jumped.

They crashed through the glass domed ceiling of the mansion and landed heavily on the floor between the Master and the Time Lords.

Lily groaned and crawled to the Doctor's side, helping him to sit up.

The Master, who had covered his face when they crashed in, stared at them in disbelief.

The Doctor wrapped his fingers around the gun and aimed it at the Lord President before dropping it, gasping for breath.

"My Lord Doctor." The Lord President said scornfully.

He turned to the Master.

"My Lord Master." He said lightly.

He turned to Lily.

"Alyssy of House Oakdown." He said dismissively.

"That's Lady Phoenix." She growled as a gold wall appeared between them forcing him back a step.

He stared at her for a moment before nodding.

"My Lady Phoenix." He said.

Lily didn't drop the shield.

He turned back to the men.

"We are gathered for the end." He said.

Lily and the Doctor stared at him, Lily's arm still around the Doctor, holding him up. They kneeled before the Time Lords in agony and horror.

* * *

Addams managed to grab hold of the controls and put the ship in a steep climb.

"Just…just…turn it 'round!" Wilf yelled over the rushing wind through the smash windows. "Land it!"

"We are _not_ going in there!" she told him, shaking her head.

"I am _not _leaving that man and woman on their own!" he told her. "Not today!"

Addams glanced at him while he glared at her.

"Land it!" he ordered.

She looked at him before sharply jerking the controls to the right.

* * *

A severely cut up and bleeding Lily and Doctor struggled to get up. Both their clothes were in tatters.

"Listen to me!" the Doctor begged desperately. "You can't!"

"It is a fitting paradox that our salvation comes at the hand of our most infamous child!" The Lord President spat.

"Oh, he's not saving you!" Lily told him as the Master grinned. "My brother doesn't do anything that doesn't benefit him, and you're too dumb to see it!"

"Silent child!" The Lord President ordered her.

"Make me." Lily shot back.

"Hey now!" The Master interrupted. "Only I get to pick on Alyssy, but you should be quiet because this is mine!"

He spread his hands wide.

"Look around you." He told them. "I've transplanted myself into every single human being. Who wants a mongrel little species like them? Because now I can transplant myself into every single Time Lord."

The Lord President took a deep, unsteady breath.

"Oh, yes, Mr. President, sir!" The Master told him scornfully. "Standing there all noble and resplendent and decrepit. Think how much better you're gonna look as me!"

The Lord President raised his left hand and the gauntlet clicked before starting to glow.

"Looks like you're about to lose your upper hand, big brother!" Lily called.

The smile vanished from the Master's face.

The Lord President opened his hand and all the humans' heads began to shake.

"No, don't!" The Master yelled petulantly. "No, no, no, stop it, no! No! No, no, no, no, don't!"

He glared at the Lord President, who watched him calmly.

Finally everyone was back to normal, confused.

"On your knees, mankind!" The Lord President ordered grimily.

Everyone obediently dropped to their knees in fear.

"That-that's fine, that's good, because you said salvation." The Master said desperately. "I still saved you! Don't forget that!"

The ground began to shake.

"The approach begins!" the Lord President announced.

"The approach of what?" the Master asked the Doctor.

"Something is returning, you moron." Lily told him grimly. "Don't you ever listen? We've only been trying to tell you this for the last three days, you ass."

"That was the prophecy." The Doctor told him as they all stared at the Time Lords. "Not some_one_, some_thing_!"

"What is it?" the Master demanded.

"They're not just bringing back the species." The Doctor told him furiously. "It's Gallifrey!"

The Master's eyes widened.

"And there it is!" Lily said sarcastically. "Now he gets it! They're bringing it back right here, right now!"

* * *

In the space beside the Earth, a faint flickering of an burnt orange planet began to appear. It quickly strengthened into a solid planet, dwarfing it's new neighbor.

The Earth shook.

* * *

"Donna?" Shawn shouted. "Donna! Donna!"

Sylvia stood, staring at the sky in fear.

"Oh, Doctor, Lily, please!" she whispered, almost in prayer.

* * *

Wilf ran along the halls of the mansion as things began to fall around him.

* * *

"We're getting out of here!" Addams declared. "This whole planet's gonna be knocked out of orbit!"

"What about the Doctor and the Phoenix?" Rossiter asked her.

"Well, he said he was dying!" she said, shrugging.

She pulled the switch so they could take off.

* * *

Everyone in the mansion began to panic and run as the Lord President watched them.

Lily and the Doctor sat huddled on the ground, still in pain, as the Master fell to his knees, his face alight with victory.

"Aha!" he exclaimed. "I did this! I get the credit! I'm on your side!"

* * *

"Go on, get out of the way!" Wilf shouted, trying to fight his way to Lily and the Doctor. "Get out of the way!"

He was distracted by someone pounding loudly.

He looked over to see one of the scientists trapped in one of the radiation booths.

"Let me out of here!" the man shouted. "Quick! Somebody, please!"

"All right!" Wilf yelled. "I've got you, mate! I've got you!"

Lily and the Doctor both looked up when they heard him.

"Wilf don't!" the Doctor yelled. "Don't!"

Wilf didn't listen. He stepped into the box, hitting the button to lock his door and free the other man.

The Doctor dropped his head helplessly as Lily sobbed.

The world around them continued to shake violently.

The Master turned his eyes to the Lord President, who was focused on the sky.

"But this is fantastic, isn't it?" The Master said.

He looked at Lily and the Doctor, who just glared at him.

"The Time Lords restored!" he told them.

"I swear you used to be smarter than this." Lily sneered.

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"You weren't there in the final days of the war." The Doctor told him bitterly. "You never saw what was born. But if the Time Lock's broken then everything's coming through. Not just the Daleks, but the Star of Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, The Nightmare Child."

The Master glanced at the Lord President, who was breathing heavily.

"The Could-Have-Been-King with his Army of Meanwhiles and Never-Weres." The Doctor continued. "The War turning to Hell!"

The Master stood staring at them.

"That's what you've opened, brother dearest." Lily told him. "Right above the Earth. Hell is descending."

"My kind of world!" the Master said happily.

"Just listen!" the Doctor told him desperately. "'Cause even the Time Lords can't survive that!"

"We will initiate the final sanction!" the Lord President announced.

The Doctor dropped his head to Lily's shoulder, sobbing, as she held him, her face a mask of hopelessness.

"The end of time will come at my hand!" the Lord President said victoriously. "The rupture will continue until it rips the time vortex apart!"

"That's suicide!" the Master told him sharply.

"We will ascend!" the Lord President replied, spreading his arms wide. "To become creatures of consciousness alone. Free of these bodies."

The Doctor looked up at him bitterly.

"Free of time and cause and effect." He continued. "And where creation itself ceases to be!"

"You see now?" The Doctor demanded, glaring at him. "That's what they planned in the final days of the war. I had to stop them!"

"Then-take me with you!" the Master called, stepping forward. "Lord President, let me ascend into glory!"

He started to fall to his knees.

"You are diseased!" The Lord President sneered. "Albeit a disease of our own making. No more!"

He raised his gauntlet and prepared to destroy the Master, but stopped when the Doctor cocked the gun, aiming at the Lord President, and Lily moved in front of the Master.

He quickly pushed her out of the way and she fell to the ground. She turned and stared at him.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why do you keep trying to save me?" he demanded.

"I'm a glutton for punishment." She told him. "Because you're my brother."

"Choose your enemy well." The Lord President told the Doctor. "We are many. The Master is but one."

"But he's the President!" The Master said, smirking. "Kill him and Gallifrey could be yours!"

The Doctor suddenly turned, pointing the gun at the Master and the Lord President lowered the gauntlet.

"He's to blame, not me!" the Master said quickly, waving a hand. "Oh! The link is inside my head! Kill me, the link gets broken, they go back."

The Doctor's face tensed and the Master shifted slightly, meeting his gaze.

"You never would, you coward!" he told the Doctor. "If nothing else, you couldn't do it to Alyssy, could you?"

They stared at each other, Lily on the ground between them, and The Master's face began to falter.

For the first time, he looked afraid.

"Go on then." He taunted. "Do it!"

"Shut up, Koschei!" Lily yelled at him.

"DO IT!" he yelled over her.

The Doctor's finger shifted on the trigger and the Master swallowed hard, shaking his head slightly.

The Doctor turned the gun back the Lord President, who now looked afraid.

"Exactly!" The Master said triumphantly. "It's not just me, it's him! He's the link! Kill him!"

"The final act of your life is murder!" The Lord President told him. "But of which one of us?"

The Doctor fought to breath, clearly indecisive.

Lily shifted to her knees behind him.

The Doctor's gaze switched to the two figures covering their faces. Slowly, one woman began to reveal her face.

It was the woman who had counseled Wilf.

_Oh my god._ Lily whispered.

The Doctor's mask of anger and bitterness faded to one of sadness and regret as a tear slipped down and her eyes traveled between the Doctor and the Master.

The Doctor spun around and aimed at the Master again, who looked lost and terrified.

The woman stared at the Doctor before focusing on Lily. Her eyes took on a look of approval as she looked between the woman on the floor and the man holding the gun.

She gave a small nodded and Lily returned it, before refocusing on her mate and her brother.

"Get out of the way." The Doctor growled.

The Master glanced behind him, realizing his plan. He half smiled before diving out of the way. Lily pulled him to her, the siblings holding each other as the Doctor fired a shot into the machine holding the white point diamond, making it explode.

"The link is broken!" The Doctor proclaimed triumphantly. "Back into the Time War, Rassilon! Back into Hell!"

"Gallifrey falling!" The Visionary's voice called. "Gallifrey falls!"

"You die with me, Doctor!" the Lord President said bitterly.

He raised his gauntlet and the Doctor met his eyes.

"I know." He said simply.

As the planet was pulled away, the wind roared.

The Doctor stared at the Lord President as the woman once more covered her face.

"Get out of the way!"

The Doctor looked over his shoulder sharply and dove out of the way as the Master fired a bolt at the Lord President, hitting him in the chest. He staggered back as the Master spoke.

"You did this to me!" he roared. "All of my life!"

He fired off another bolt and was surprised when a gold bolt joined it, turning the bolt pure white. He looked back to see Lily fighting with him, her power mingling with her brothers to make it stronger.

He turned back to The Lord President.

"You made me!" he yelled. "One!" Bolt. "Two!" Bolt. "Three!" Bolt. "FOUR!"

The Doctor grabbed Lily around the waist, pulling her back as The Master, the Time Lords, and Gallifrey were drawn into the white light.

* * *

Sylvia smiled in relief as Gallifrey flickered and disappeared from the sky, almost in tears.

Earth was alone and peaceful again.

* * *

Lily collapsed, sobbing, taking the Doctor with her as they fell to the ground.

They stared at the space where the Time Lords had been.

"I'm alive!" The Doctor said, turning to Lily. "I'm still alive!"

He grabbed her, kissing her deeply, and she returned it gladly.

_Tap tap tap tap_

A/N: sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob

sob sob sob sob sob sob sob Abbey sob sob sob sob sob sob sob


	28. The End of Time: Goodbye

Disclaimer: I'm in mourning, leave me alone.

Ch. 28:

_Tap tap tap tap._

Lily and the Doctor broke apart, horrified realization on both their faces.

_Tap tap tap tap_

They turned as Wilf knocked again.

He waved weakly.

"They've gone then?" he asked them. "Yeah, good-o. If you could, er, let me out."

Lily held up her hand and a few gold sparks appeared before disappearing. She looked up at the Doctor in horror.

The Doctor nodded sadly.

"Yeah." He said softly.

"I mean, this thing seems to be making a bit of noise." Wilf said anxiously.

"The Master left the nuclear bolt running." The Doctor told him hesitantly. "It's gone into overload."

"And that's bad, is it?" Wilf asked.

"No." the Doctor replied lightly. "'Cause all the excess radiation gets vented inside there."

He nodded to the glass booth.

"Vinvocci glass contains it." He continued. "All 500,000 rads about to flood that thing."

"Oh." Wilf replied. "Well, you'd better let me out then."

"Except it's gone critical." The Doctor said.

Wilf's face fell.

He stood up and Lily wrapped her arms herself, rocking slightly.

"Touch one control and it floods." The Doctor said, taking out the sonic screwdriver. "Even this would set it off and Lily's too weak after all that to run a toaster, much less get you out."

"I'm sorry." Wilf said helplessly. "Look, just leave me."

"Okay, right then, I will." The Doctor told him, smiling bitterly. "'Cause you had to go in there, didn't you? You had to go and get stuck, oh yes! 'Cause that's who you are, Wilfred. You were always this. Waiting for me, all this time."

"No, really, just leave me." Wilf told him. "I'm an old man, Doctor. I've had my time."

"Well, exactly, look at you." The Doctor raged. "Not remotely important! But me? I could do so much more! So much more! But this is what I get. My reward. _And it's not fair!_"

He shoves papers off the desk as he began to cry, gasping for breath.

He shook his head and sighed.

"Oh…" he said softly. "Live too long."

"No." Wilf told him. "No, no, please! Please don't. No! Don't! Don't! Please. Don't. _Please._"

The Doctor slowly crossed the floor and placed his hand on the silver handle, gazing at Wilf.

"Wilfred, it's my honor." He told the man. "Better be quick! Three, two…"

He opened the door and stepped inside, pressing the button to release Wilf.

"One." He finished.

Wilf rushed out as the booth holding the Doctor was bathed in red.

He groaned and his jaw clenched in pain as he fell to his knees.

There was a feral yell and Lily threw herself at the door, slamming her fists into the glass uselessly. She hit and clawed at the door separating her from her mate as he covered his head with his hands trying to ward off the pain.

He convulsed with ever breath as Lily fell to the ground, her body wrenching with every sob.

Finally, the light went off and the power died.

The Doctor remained motionless and the only sound was Lily's heart wrenching sobs.

Then…his fingers moved, reaching for the floor.

"Oh!" Wilf exclaimed.

Lily followed her mate's progress, pulling herself up as he did.

"What?" Wilf asked. "Hello."

"Hi." The Doctor replied hoarsely.

"Still with us?" Wilf asked.

"System's dead." The Doctor replied. "I absorbed it all. Whole thing's kaput."

He pressed the door and it opened.

"Oh!" he said in aggravation. "Now it opens, yeah!"

"Well, there we are then." Wilf said, relieved. "Safe and sound. Mind you, you're in a hell of a state. You've got some battle scars there."

The Doctor covered his face with his hands before removing them to reveal unblemished skin.

A sob escaped Lily and she buried her face in his chest and he held her tight.

"But they've…Your face!" Wilf said. "How did you do that?"

"It's started." The Doctor replied softly.

Wilf began to cry as the Doctor helplessly held Lily.

* * *

Wilf stepped out of the TARDIS followed by a subdued Donna. A second later, the Doctor and Lily walked out hand in hand.

"Oh." The Doctor said, spotting Sylvia. "She's smiling. As if today wasn't bad enough…"

"Oh." Wilf said, half laughing.

"Anyway…" the Doctor said lightly. "Don't go thinking this is goodbye, Wilf. I'll see you again. One more time."

"What do you mean?" Wilf asked. "When's that?"

"Just…keep looking." The Doctor told him. "I'll be there."

"Where're you going?" Wilf asked.

The Doctor glanced at Lily, who had tears running down her cheeks.

"To get my reward." He replied.

"I'll call you…after." Lily told Donna softly.

She and the Doctor walked back inside the TARDIS.

* * *

They walked back out in Cardiff.

"I need to do this on my own." The Doctor told Lily softly.

She nodded and stepped away.

"I'll be right here." she told him.

He nodded and stepped back inside, leaving her.

* * *

A gun shot sparks at a figure in black who was running across a stretch of open ground.

Martha crossed a stretch of dirt and threw herself behind a concrete block, joining Mickey, who was reloading his gun.

"I told you to stay behind!" he told her.

"Well, you looked like you needed help." She shot back, making him scoff. "Besides, you and Lily were the ones who persuaded me to go freelance."

"Yeah, but…we're being fired at by a Sontaran." Mickey scoffed. "A dumpling with a gun! And this is no place for a married woman!"

"Well then…" Martha said, laughing. "You shouldn't have married me!"

They grinned at each other, unaware of the Sontaran watching them from above.

He raised his gun and aimed.

There was a metallic 'wang', and he dropped.

The Doctor stood behind him, holding the mallet from the TARDIS with a look of satisfaction on his face.

Still unaware, Mickey and Martha were looking at a map.

"If we go in here, and down the factory floor, and down past that corridor," Mickey said, " then it won't know we're here."

Meanwhile Martha looked up towards the Sontaran had been.

"Mickey." She said faintly. "Mickey!"

He glanced at her before following her gaze to the Doctor.

He stood watching them, one hand holding the mallet and the other in his pocket.

"Hey!" Mickey said happily.

They started towards him, but the Doctor simply nodded before turning and walking away.

They watched him go and Mickey pulled Martha into his arms as they heard the TARDIS. Martha closed her eyes and Mickey pressed a kiss to her head.

* * *

Luke was walking down the street, talking on the phone.

"That was the maddest Christmas ever, Clyde!" he said. "Mum still doesn't know what happened! She got Mr. Smith to put out this story saying that WiFi went mad all across the world, giving everyone hallucinations. I mean, how else are you going to explain it? Everyone with a different face…"

He began to cross the road, only to be dragged back by the Doctor as a car came barreling past.

Luke caught his breath and stared at the Doctor as he frowned at him.

"It's you!" he said, shocked.

The Doctor nodded.

"You're…"

The Doctor walked away, looking tired and unhappy.

"Mum." Luke called. "Mum!"

"What?" Sarah Jane asked. "What is it?"

"It's him!" he replied, gesturing to him. "It's the Doctor!"

Sarah Jane stared at him as he walked back to the TARDIS. He paused at the threshold to wave at her before disappearing inside.

* * *

Jack sat in a bar full of aliens, drowning his sorrow and guilt.

The Bartender walked over.

"From the man over there." He said, pointing as he handed him a note.

He moved and Jack saw the Doctor standing at the end of the bar. He nodded at the note and Jack opened it.

'Your sister needs you' it said.

Jack looked up, confused, and the Doctor motioned for him to turn it over.

'His name is Alonzo' was all it said.

He looked back up and the Doctor nodded to the man who had just sat down next to Jack.

The Doctor saluted him, which Jack returned, before wandering away.

Jack glanced at the man.

"So, Alonzo…" he said.

The man stared at him.

"Goin' my way?" Jack asked.

"How d'you know my name?" Alonzo asked.

Jack smiled.

"I'm kinda psychic." He told him.

"Really?" Alonzo asked as Jack laughed. "And what am I'm thinking now?"

Jack nodded, smiling.

"Oh, yeah!" he replied.

Alonzo nodded, a slow smile forming on his face.

Jack laughed and drained his glass.

* * *

Verity was sitting at a table in a bookstore, signing copies of her book.

"No, it's not just a story, no." she told a man. "Every word of it's true. I found my great-grandmother's diary in the loft. And she was a nurse in 1913 and she fell in love with this man called John Smith. Except he was a visitor from another world. She fell in love with a man from the stars. And she…wrote it all down."

She closed the copy of _A Journal of Impossible Things_ and passed it to him.

"Thank you." He said, moving off.

"And who's it for?" she asked, taking the next person's book.

"The Doctor." He replied.

"'To the Doctor'." She said as she signed. "Funny, that's the name he used."

She froze before finally looking up at him.

"Was she happy?" the Doctor asked her. "In the end?"

"Yes." She replied after a moment. "Yes, she was."

She stared at him for a moment.

"Were you?" she asked.

He smiled sadly.

"Yeah." He said softly.

He picked up the book and walked away.

* * *

Church bells rang as Donna and Shawn came out, arm in arm, and Donna held up her hand to show off her new ring.

Wilf kissed her cheek and then, laughing, kissed Shawn's cheek, making everyone else laugh.

"Everybody, three cheers!" he called. "Hip hip…"

"Hooray!" everyone cheered. "Hooray! Hooray!"

Donna began pulling everyone together for pictures.

"Right then, come on then, you lot!" she ordered. "Get in! This photo is just with friends! Come on and I want all of you in it. Come on, that's it! Well, friends-and Nerys!"

She grinned at the miserable looking woman.

"Oh, I'm only joking." She told her. "Oh, look at her!"

"Well, you made me wear peach!" Neyrs protested.

"That's 'cause you are a peach!" Donna told her. "Furry skin, stone inside, going off!"

"Okay, smile!" the photographer called.

Everyone laughed and threw confetti.

Minnie turned to Wilf.

"How about it, Wilfred?" she asked.

"Eh?" he said.

"Well, it's never too late!" she told him, sprinkling confetti in his hair.

"Will you behave, Minnie?" he demanded. "Honestly!"

"I'm going to catch that bouquet!" she told him.

"Dear, dear." Wilf said, chuckling.

Sylvia turned away and spotted the Doctor standing in front of the TARDIS on the other side of the gate.

"Dad." She whispered.

Wilf led her over to the Doctor.

"Eh, here you are, hey?" Wilf asked. "Same old face. Didn't I tell you you'd be alright? Oh, they've arrested Mr. Naismith. It was on the new. Crimes undisclosed. And his daughter. Both of 'em locked up. Yep…but…I keep thinking, Doctor, there's one thing you never told me. That woman-who was she?"

The Doctor just swallowed hard.

"I just wanted to give you this." He said, reaching into his pocket. "Wedding present. Thing is, I never carry money, so I just popped back in time. Borrowed a quid off a really lovely man. Geoffrey Noble, his name was."

Sylvia's eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Have it, he said." He told her. "Have that on me."

Wilf comforted her, mouthing 'thank you' at the Doctor.

They walked away and handed the envelope to Donna.

"Oh, don't tell me, it's a bill!" she said, taking it. "Just what I need right now!"

She opened it.

"A lottery ticket?" she asked.

Wilf and Sylvia stared at each other in shock.

"What a cheap present!" she told them. "Still, you never know! It's triple rollover this week. I might get lucky!"

She shoved it down the front of her dress.

"Oi, Shawn!" she yelled. "Come on, we're on a tight schedule. I was told soup at 2:30."

The Doctor watched as Wilf and Sylvia turned and looked at him.

Sylvia smiled sadly and Wilf saluted him.

The Doctor turned away and never saw the maid of honor watch him walk away with tears in her grey eyes. As he enter the TARDIS, she blew a kiss at him and the wind blew her blonde hair in her face, obscuring her view as the TARDIS disappeared.

* * *

Jackie and Rose Tyler walked through the snow towards their flat.

"Too late now, I've missed it." Rose told her mother. "Midnight. Mickey's going to be calling me every minute. This is your fault!"

"No, it is not!" Jackie protested. "Jimbo! He said he was gonna give us a lift and then he said his axle's broke! I can't help it!"

"Get rid of him, Mum!" Rose told her. "He's useless!"

"Listen to you!" Jackie shot back. "With a mechanic! Be fair though. In my time of life, I'm not gonna do much better."

"Don't be like that." Rose said, wrapping her arm around her. "Never know, there could be someone out there."

"Maybe." Jackie replied, looking up at the sky. "One day."

She smiled at her daughter.

"Happy New Year!" she told her.

"Happy New Year!" Rose replied.

They embraced warmly.

"Don't stay out all night!" Rose said, pointing at Jackie.

"Try and stop me!" she replied, hurrying away.

Rose strode through the snow, passed where the Doctor was standing watching her.

He suddenly grimaced and Rose turned.

"You all right, mate?" she asked.

"Yeah." He replied, trying to sound normal.

"Too much to drink?" she asked.

"Something like that." He replied.

"Maybe it's time you went home." She told him.

"Yeah." He answered.

"Anyway, Happy New Year!" she told him cheerfully.

"And you!" he replied.

She turned away.

"What year is this?" he called.

"Blimey, how much have you had?" she asked.

The Doctor shrugged.

"2005." Rose told him. "January the first."

"2005." He repeated thoughtfully. "Tell you what. I bet you're gonna have a really great year!"

"Yeah?" she asked, amused.

He smiled.

"See ya!" she said.

She ran through the snow and he watched her go.

* * *

The Doctor stood outside a Cardiff restaurant, and inside he could see himself, Jack, and Lily as she used to be, eating a meal, talking and laughing.

He groaned and grabbed his head.

He looked at Lily, her black hair shaking as she laughed.

"I love you." He whispered.

He froze as she looked out the window and straight at him.

She smiled softly before turning back to the men she was with.

"I'm sorry." He murmured.

He turned and saw Ood Sigma standing in the street.

"We will sing to you, Doctor." He told him. "The Universe will sing you to your sleep. This song is ending, but the story never ends."

* * *

Lily sat on a bench with a slightly pregnant Gwen, waiting for the Doctor. Finally, she heard the engines and got to her feet.

The TARDIS appeared and the Doctor stepped out, but he made no move towards her.

She walked forward and watched as he dropped something before stepping back inside.

"No." she said.

She took off running as the TARDIS began to disappear.

"NO!"

She made it to the door the moment they disappeared fully and she fell to the ground in the place where the time ship had been.

"No!" she screamed.

Gwen moved to her side and wrapped her arms around the young woman as she cried.

Finally, she pulled away and picked up what he had dropped.

It was an envelope addressed to her.

* * *

_My dearest Lily-_

The Doctor moved up the ramp, supporting himself on the rails.

_These last few years have meant more to me than I ever thought possible. If I hadn't found you…if you hadn't found me…_

He removed his duster and threw it over a beam.

_You save me and I will never be able to repay that debt._

He looked at his hand, which was glowing.

_I wish I didn't have to leave you. I wish I didn't have to be the cause of the pain I'm sure I'm leaving, but I will not risk it. I will not risk you._

He stared at his hand, his eyes filling with tears.

_This regeneration, if I survive, will be violent at best, and deadly at worst. And when do things ever go our way?_

He moved around the console for the last time.

_I swear to you. I swear I will come back to you. I swear it._

He stared up at the central column.

_I'm so proud of you, my beautiful Phoenix. Just, promise me you will be brilliant. For me. And promise you will keep yourself safe, no matter what happens._

_I love you so much._

_Forever,_

"I don't wanna go." He whispered.

_Your Doctor…_

His body burst into gold light as he threw back his head. The force of the energy shot flames through the TARDIS breaking it and burning it.

He closed his eyes only to open new ones with a scream.

In his place stood a new man.

A massive explosion brought him back to reality.

He grabbed his left leg and pulled it up to kiss it.

"Legs!" he exclaimed. "I've still got legs!"

He patted his chest.

"Good." He said. "Arms! Hands! Ooh, fingers! Lots of fingers!"

He grabbed his head and began to feel his face.

"Ears!" he continued. "Yes, eyes, two. Nose. Ooh, I've had worse. Chin! Blimey! Hair!"

He felt his longer hair.

"I'm a girl!" he squeaked, before feeling his Adam's apple. "No! I'm not a girl!'

He pulled a forelock down so he could see it.

"Oh, and still not ginger!" he complained.

He began to look around.

"Something else-there was something else!" he said. "Something-important I'm-I'm-I'm-"

An explosion shook the TARDIS and the Doctor looked up with a delighted grin.

"Ha-ha!" he yelled. "Crashing!"

As the TARDIS hurtled through space towards Earth, the Doctor ran wildly around.

"Ha-ha!" he rejoiced. "Wa-hoo! Woo hoo hoo! Ha! Geronimo!"

A/N: Review.

Abbey.

*curls into a ball*


	29. Final Author's Note

Final Author's Note:

So that's it for Someday. I will warn you that Lily and the Doctor will be spending a significant amount of time apart in the next story, which will be called I'd Come For You. Please don't kill me. So on to Series 5. I may take a day or two to recover first though.

Final Someday Stats:  
(as of 8/30/10)

Chapters: 28

Words: 76,335

Hits: 4,957

Reviews: 104

Abbey


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